RED    ROCK 


A  CHRONICLE  OF   RECONSTRUCTION 


I 


SHE  GAVE  HIM  A  ROLLING-PIN  AND  HE  SET  TO  WORK. 


r 


Co 
F.  L.  P. 

AN  OLD-FASHIONED  LADY 


PREFACE 


The  Region  where  the  Grays  and  Carys  lived  lies 
too  far  from  the  centres  of  modern  progress  to  be 
laid  down  on  any  map  that  will  be  accessible.  And, 
as  "he  who  maps  an  undiscovered  country  may  place 
what  boundaries  he  will"  it  need  only  be  said,  that 
it  lies  in  the  South,  somewhere  in  that  vague  region 
partly  in  one  of  the  old  Southern  States  and  partly 
in  the  yet  vaguer  land  of  Memory.  It  will  be  spoken 
of  in  this  story,  as  Dr.  Gary,  General  Legate,  and 
the  other  people  who  used  to  live  there  in  old  times, 
spoke  of  it,  in  warm  affection,  as,  "the  old  County" 
or,  "the  Red  Rock  section"  or  just,  "My  country,  sir." 

It  was  a  goodly  land  in  those  old  times — a  rolling 
country,  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  blue  mountain- spurs, 
with  forests  and  fields ;  rich  meadows  filled  with  fat 
cattle ;  watered  by  streams,  sparkling  and  bubbling 
over  rocks,  or  winding  under  willows  and  sycamores, 
to  where  the  hills  melted  away  in  the  low,  alluvial 
lands,  where  the  sea  once  washed  and  still  left  its 
memory  and  its  name. 

The  people  of  that  section  were  the  product  of  a 
system  of  which  it  is  the  fashion  nowadays  to  have 

vii 


PREFACE 

only  words  of  condemnation.  Every  ass  that  passes 
by  kicks  at  the  dead  lion.  It  was  an  Oligarchy,  they 
say,  which  ruled  and  lorded  it  over  all  but  those 
favored  ones  who  belonged  to  it.  But  has  one  ever 
known  the  members  of  a  Democracy  to  rule  so  justly  ? 
If  they  shone  in  prosperity,  much  more  they  shone  in 
adversity ;  if  they  bore  themselves  haughtily  in  their 
day  of  triumph,  they  have  borne  defeat  with  splendid 
fortitude.  Their  old  family  seats,  with  everything 
else  in  the  world,  were  lost  to  them  —  their  dignity 
became  grandeur.  Their  entire  system  crumbled  and 
fell  about  them  in  ruins — they  remained  unmoved. 
They  were  subjected  to  the  greatest  humiliation  of 
modern  times  :  their  slaves  were  put  over  them — they 
reconquered  their  section  and  preserved  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

No  doubt  the  phrase  "  Before  the  war "  is  at  times 
somewhat  abused.  It  is  just  possible  that  there  is  a 
certain  Caleb  Osbaldistonism  in  the  speech  at  times. 
But  for  those  who  knew  the  old  County  as  it  was 
then,  and  can  contrast  it  with  what  it  has  become 
since,  no  wonder  it  seems  that  even  the  moonlight  was 
richer  and  mellower  "  before  the  war ' '  than  it  is  now. 
For  one  thing,  the  moonlight  as  well  as  the  sunlight 
shines  brighter  in  our  youth  than  in  maturer  age ; 
and  gold  and  gossamer  amid  the  rose-bowers  reflect  it 
better  than  serge  and  crepe  amid  myrtles  and  bays. 
The  great  thing  is  not  to  despond  even  though  the 
brilliancy  be  dimmed:  in  the  new  glitter  one  need  not 
necessarily  forget  the  old  radiance.  Happily,  when 
one  of  the  wise  men  insists  that  it  shall  be  forgotten, 


PREFACE  lX 

and  that  we  shall  be  wise  also,  like  him,  it  works 
automatically,  and  we  know  that  he  is  one  of  those 
who,  as  has  been  said,  avoiding  the  land  of  romance, 
"  have  missed  the  title  of  fool  at  the  cost  of  a  celes- 
tial crown." 

Why  should  not  Miss  Thomasia  in  her  faded  dress, 
whom  you  shall  meet,  tell  us,  if  she  pleases,  of  her 
"dear  father,"  and  of  all  her  "dear  cousins"  to  the 
remotest  generation;  and  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legate 
quote  their  grandfathers  as  oracles,  alongside  the  sages 
of  Plutarch,  and  say  "Sir"  and  " Madam"  at  the 
end  of  their  sentences  ?  Antiquated,  you  say  ?  Provin- 
cial? Do  you,  young  lady,  observe  Miss  Thomasia 
the  next  time  she  enters  a  room,  or  addresses  a  ser- 
vant; and  do  you,  good  sir,  polished  by  travel  and  con- 
tact with  the  most  fashionable — second-class — society 
of  two  continents,  watch  General  Legate  and  Dr.  Gary 
when  they  meet  Miss  Thomasia,  or  greet  the  apple- 
woman  on  the  corner,  or  the  wagoner  on  the  road. 
What  an  air  suddenly  comes  in  with  them  of  old 
Courts  and  polished  halls  when  all  gentlemen  bowed 
Iciv  before  all  ladies,  and  wore  swords  to  defend  their 
/wnor.  What  an  odor,  as  it  were,  of  those  gardens 
which  Watteau  painted,  floats  in  as  they  enter  /  Do 
not  you  attempt  it.  You  cannot  do  it.  You  are  think- 
ing of  yourself,  they  of  others  and  the  devoirs  they 
owe  them.  You  are  republican  and  brought  up  to 
consider  yourself  "as  good  as  any,  and  better  than 
most."  Sound  doctrine  for  the  citizen,  no  doubt;  but 
it  spoils  the  bow.  Even  you,  Miss  or  Madam,  for  all 
your  silks  and  satins,  cannot  do  it  like  Miss  Thomasia. 


X  PREFACE 

You  are  imitating  the  duchess  you  saw  once,  perhaps, 
in  Hyde  Park.  The  duchess  would  have  imitated 
Miss  Thomasia.  You  are  at  best  an  imitation;  Miss 
Thomasia  is  the  reality.  Do  not  laugh  at  her,  or 
call  her  provincial.  She  belongs  to  the  realm  where 
sincerity  dwells  and  the  heart  still  rules — the  realm 
of  old-time  courtesy  and  high  breeding,  and  you  are 
the  real  provincial.  It  is  a  wide  realm,  though ;  and 
some  day,  if  Heaven  be  good  to  you,  you  may  reach 
it.  But  it  must  be  by  the  highway  of  Sincerity  and 
Truth.  No  other  road  leads  there. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB 

I.      IN   WHICH  THERE  ARE   SEVERAL   INTRODUCTIONS,          .        1 

II.    IN  WHICH   Two   STRANGERS  VISIT   BED   ROCK   AND 

ARE  INVITED  TO  COME  AGAIN,        .        .       .        .11 

III.  THE  VISITORS  START  SOUTH  AGAIN,  AND  THEIR  FOR- 

MER HOSTS  GO  TO  MEET  THEM,     .       .       .        .33 

IV.  IN  WHICH  A  LONG  JUMP  is  TAKEN,      .       j     ;.  '     .    49 

V.    DR.  GARY  RETURNS  FROM  THE  WAR,  AND  TAKES  AN 

INVENTORY  OP  STOCK, 56 

VI.    A  BROKEN  SOLDIER  COMES  HOME  PROM  WAR,    .        .    63 
VIL     THE  GARY  CONFERENCE,        .       .       i  '    '.       .       .    78 

VIII.    MR.   HIRAM    STILL    TELLS   HOW  TO  BRIDLE  A  SHY 

HORSE,  AND  CAPTAIN  ALLEN  LAYS  DOWN  His  HOE,    86 

IX.    MR.  JONADAB  LEECH  TURNS  UP  WITH  A  CARPET-BAG 

AND  OPENS  His  BUREAU,        ,       ,  ,..;....•     .        .    96 

X.    THE  PROVOST  MAKES  His  FIRST  MOVE,       .       .       .107 

XI.    THE  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR,  AND  CAPTAIN  MID- 

DLETON  SEEKS  THE  CONSOLATIONS  OP  RELIGION,  118 

XII.  CAPTAIN  ALLEN  TAKES  THE  OATH  OP  ALLEGIANCE 
AND  JACQUELIN  GRAY  LOSES  His  BUTTONS  AND 
BOMB  OLD  PAPERS, 139 


Xll  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

XIII.  STEVE  ALLEN  LEARNS  Miss  THOMASIA'S  SECRET 

AND  FORSWEARS  CARDS, 155 

XIV.  LEECH  SECURES  AN  ORDER  AND  LOSES  IT,     .       .  162 

XV.     CAPTAIN  MIDDLETON  HAS  A  TEST  OP  PEACE,  AND 

is  ORDERED  WEST, 175 

XVI.    THE  NEW  TROOP  MEETS  THE  ENEMY,     .        .       .  186 

XVII.    JACQUELIN  GRAY  GOES  ON  A  LONG  VOYAGE  AND 

BED  ROCK  PASSES  OUT  OF  His  HANDS,     .        .  195 

XVIII.    LEECH  AS  A  STATESMAN  AND  DR.  GARY  AS  A  COL- 
LECTOR OF  BILLS, 207 

XIX.    HIRAM  STILL  COLLECTS  His  DEBTS,        .        .        .  216 
XX.    LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHER  AND  GETS  A  FALL,       .        .  228 

XXL  DR.  GARY  MEETS  AN  OLD  COLLEGE  MATE  AND 
LEARNS  THAT  THE  ATHENIANS  ALSO  PRACTISE 
HOSPITALITY, 241 

XXII.    JACQUELIN    GRAY    COMES   HOME   AND   CLAIMS   A 

GRAVEYARD, 252 

XXIII.  Two  NEW  RESIDENTS  COME  TO  THE  COUNTY,        .  264 

XXIV.  THE  TRAVELLERS  ARE  ENTERTAINED  IN  A  FARM- 

HOUSE,   280 

XXV.    THE  TRICK-DOCTOR 289 

XXVI.    MAJOR  WELCH  AND  RUTH  BECOME  RESIDENTS,      .  294 

XXVII.    HIRAM  STILL  GETS  A  LEGAL  OPINION  AND  CAP- 
TAIN ALLEN  CLIMBS  FOR  CHERRIES,         .       .  301 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

XXVIII.    MRS.  WELCH  ARRIVES  AND  GIVES  HER  FIRST  LES- 
SON IN  ENTERPRISE,         ...        .        .        .  320 

XXIX.    MRS.  WELCH  ENTERS  THE  HARVEST,     .        .       .  330 
XXX.    SOME  OF  THE  GRAIN  MRS.  WELCH  REAPED,         .  347 

XXXI.    JACQUELIN  GRAY  LEARNS  THAT  HE  is  A  FOOL, 

AND  STEVE  ASTONISHES  MAJOR  WELCH,        .  365 

XXXII.    A  CUT  DIRECT  AND  A  REJECTED  ADDRESS,  .       .  385 

XXXIII.  BLAIR  GARY  SAVES  A  RIVAL  SCHOOL,  .       .       .398 

XXXIV.  LEECH   AND    STILL   MAKE   A   MOVE,    AND   TWO 

WOMEN  CHECK  THEM, 410 

XXXV.    CAPTAIN  ALLEN  FINDS  RUPERT  AND  BREAKS  THE 

LAW, .  422 

XXXVI.    MR.  STILL  OFFERS  A  COMPROMISE,  AND  A  BLUFF,  436 

XXXVII.    IN  WHICH  IT  is  SHOWN  THAT,  IN  A  TRIAL,  COUN- 
SEL MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY,          .   455 

XXXVIII.    IN  WHICH   MR.  LEECH  SPRINGS   A   TRAP  WITH 

MUCH  SUCCESS, 472 

XXXIX.    CAPTAIN    ALLEN    CLAIMS   THE   REWARD   LEECH 

OFFERED, 500 

XL.  JACQUELIN  GRAY  AND  ANDY  STAMPER  PAT  AN 

OLD  DEBT, 512 

XLI.    DR.  GARY  WRITES  A  LETTER  TO  AN  OLD  FRIEND,  521 

XLII.    CAPTAIN  ALLEN  SURRENDERS,       .       .       .       .  528 

XLIII.    Miss  WELCH  HEARS  A  PIECE  OF  NEWS,       .        .  538 


XIV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XLIV.    MIDDLE-TON    REVISITS   RED   ROCK,    AND   AN   OLD 

SOLDIER  LAYS  DOWN  His  ARMS,        .       .        .  544 

XLV.    CAPTAIN  ALLEN  HAS  AN  UNEXPECTED  VISITOR,      .  559 

XLVI.    THE  OLD   LAWYER  DECLINES  TO    SURPRISE   THE 

COURT,  AND  SURPRISES  LEECH,        .       .       .  572 

XLVII.    SOME  OF  THE  THREADS  ARE  TIED,          .       .       .579 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTEATIONS 


SHE    GAVE    HIM    A    ROLLING-PIN    AND    HE    flET    TO    WORK, 

Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

AMONG  THE  COMPANY  THAT  NIGHT  THERE  WERE  TWO  GUESTS 
WHO  "HAPPENED  IN"  QUITE  UNEXPECTEDLY,         .       .14 

THE  GIRLS  OF  THE  PLACE  TURNED  ASIDE,  WHENEVER  THEY 

MET    THEM,     AND    PASSED    BY    WITH    THEIR    HEADS    HELD 
HIGH, .  .  .  .96 

HE  CARRIED  OFF   IN  TRIUMPH  A  PAIR  OF  OLD  HORSE-PISTOLS,   .    124 

KU  KLUX — u  AWFUL   FORMS  WRAPPED   LIKE  GHOSTS  IN  WIND- 
ING-SHEETS," ..  .          .  .     *    .  .          .          „          .238 

BEFORE  HIM  STOOD,  TALL  AND  GRAY,  THE  INDIAN-KILLER,  .  262 

44 1  COULDN'T  LET  YOU  BE  RUN  AWAY  WITH  AGAIN  UNDER 
MY  VERY  EYES,"  HE  SAID,  .        .       .       .       .        .  328 

STEVE   STRETCHED,    AND,    PICKING   UP    HIS  BOOK,    DIVED  ONCE 

MORE  INTO  THE    "IDYLLS  OF  THE  KING,"  .  .          .    376 

SHE    GAVE    A    STEP  FORWARD   AND  WITH   A  QUICK  MOVEMENT 

PULLED  THE   MASK   FROM  HIS  FACE,     .  *        ...  .   406 

STILL   SPRUNG  TO  HIS  FEET  IN    UNCONTROLLABLE  AGITATION, 

HIS  FACE   LIVID,      ...          .  .          .  •  .          .   464 

AND  THERE,  IN  THE   LITTLE  PARLOR,  STEVE  AND  RUTH  WERE 

MARRIED,          .  « 57° 


RED    ROCK 

CHAPTER  I 

IN  WHICH  THERE  ABE  SEVEKAL  INTRODUCTIONS 

THE  old  Gray  plantation,  "Red  Rock/'  lay  at  the  high- 
est  part  of  the  rich  rolling  country,  before  it  rose  too  ab- 
ruptly in  the  wooded  foothills  of  the  blue  mountains  away 
to  the  westward.  As  everybody  in  the  country  knew,  who 
knew  anything,  it  took  its  name  from  the  great  red  stain, 
as  big  as  a  blanket,  which  appeared  on  the  huge  bowlder 
in  the  grove,  beside  the  family  grave-yard,  at  the  far  end  of 
the  Red  Rock  gardens.  And  as  was  equally  well  known,  or 
equally  well  believed,  which  amounted  almost  to  the  same 
thing,  that  stain  was  the  blood  of  the  Indian  chief  who  had 
slain  the  wife  of  the  first  Jacquelin  Gray  who  came  to  this 
part  of  the  world :  the  Jacquelin  who  had  built  the  first 
house  at  Red  Rock,  around  the  fireplace  of  which  the  pres- 
ent mansion  was  erected,  and  whose  portrait,  with  its  pierc- 
ing eyes  and  fierce  look,  hung  in  a  black  frame  over  the 
mantel,  and  used  to  come  down  as  a  warning  when  any  peril 
impended  above  the  house. 

The  bereft  husband  had  exacted  swift  retribution  of  the 
murderer,  on  that  very  rock,  and  the  Indian's  heart  blood 
had  left  that  deep  stain  in  the  darker  granite  as  a  perpet- 
ual memorial  of  the  swift  vengeance  of  the  Jacquelin  Grays. 

This,  at  least,  was  what  was  asserted  and  believed  by  the 
old  negroes  (and,  perhaps,  by  some  of  the  whites,  too,  a 
little).  And  if  the  negroes  did  not  know,  who  did  ?  So 
Jacquelin  often  pondered. 

1 


2  BED  ROCK 

Steve  Allen,  who  was  always  a  reckless  talker,  however, 
used  to  say  that  the  stain  was  nothing  but  a  bit  of  red  sand- 
stone which  had  outcropped  at  the  point  where  that  huge 
fragment  was  broken  off,  and  rolled  along  by  a  glacier 
thousands  of  years  ago,  far  to  the  northward  ;  but  this  view 
was  to  the  other  children's  minds  clearly  untenable ;  for 
there  never  could  have  been  any  glacier  there — glaciers,  as 
they  knew  from  their  geographies,  being  confined  to  Swit- 
zerland, and  the  world  having  been  created  only  six  thousand 
years  ago.  The  children  were  well  grounded  by  their 
mothers  and  Miss  Thomasia  in  Bible  history.  Besides, 
there  was  the  picture  of  the  "  Indian-killer/'  in  the  black 
frame  nailed  in  the  wall  over  the  fireplace  in  the  great 
hall,  and  one  could  not  go  anywhere  in  the  hall  without 
his  fierce  eyes  following  you  with  a  look  so  intent  and 
piercing  that  Mammy  Celia  was  wont  to  use  it  half  jest- 
ingly as  a  threat  effectual  with  litu^  Jacquelin  when  he 
was  refractory — that  if  he  did  not  mind,  the  "Indian- 
killer"  would  see  him  and  come  after  him.  How  often 
Mammy  Celia  employed  it  with  Jacquelin,  and  how  severe 
she  used  to  be  with  tall,  reckless  Steve,  because  he  scoffed 
at  the  story,  and  to  tease  her,  threatened,  with  appropriate 
gesture,  to  knock  the  picture  out  of  the  frame,  and  see  what 
was  in  the  secret  cabinet  behind  it  !  What  would  have 
happened  had  Steve  carried  out  his  threat,  Jacquelin,  as  a 
boy,  quite  trembled  to  think  ;  for  though  he  admired  Steve, 
his  cousin,  above  all  other  mortals,  as  any  small  boy  admires 
one  several  years  his  senior,  who  can  ride  wild  horses  and 
do  things  he  cannot  do,  this  would  have  been  to  engage  in 
a  contest  with  something  supernatural  and  not  mortal. 
Still  he  used  to  urge  Steve  to  do  it,  with  a  certain  fascinat- 
ing apprehensiveness  that  made  the  chills  creep  up  and 
down  his  back.  Besides,  it  would  have  been  very  interest- 
ing to  know  whether  the  Indian's  scalp  was  still  in  the  hol- 
low space  behind  the  picture,  and  if  so,  whether  it  was  still 
bleeding,  and  that  red  stain  on  the  bottom  of  the  frame  was 
really  blood. 


SEVERAL   INTRODUCTIONS  3 

Jacqnelin  Gray — the  one  who  figures  in  these  pages — was 
born  while  his  father,  and  his  father's  cousin,  Dr.  Gary, 
of  Birdwood,  and  Mr.  Legaie  were  in  Mexico,  winning  re- 
nown in  those  battles  which  helped  to  establish  the  security 
of  the  United  States.  He  grew  up  to  be  just  what  most 
other  boys  of  his  station,  stature,  and  blood,  living  on  a 
plantation,  under  similar  conditions,  would  have  been. 
He  was  a  hale,  hearty  boy,  who  adored  his  cousin,  Steve 
Allen,  because  Steve  was  older  and  stronger  than  he ;  de- 
spised Blair  Gary  because  she  was  a  girl ;  disliked  Wash 
Still,  the  overseer's  son,  partly  because  Steve  sneered  at 
him,  and  partly  because  the  negro  boys  disliked  him,  and 
envied  every  cart-driver  and  stable-boy  on  the  place.  He 
used  to  drive  with  string  "  lines  "  two  or  four  or  six  of  his 
black  boon  companions,  giving  them  the  names  of  his 
father's  horses  in  the  stable  ;  or  sometimes,  even  the  names 
of  those  steeds  of  -vVhich  his  Aunt  Thomasia,  a  famous 
story-teller,  told  him  in  the  hour  before  the  candles  were 
lighted.  But  if  he  drove  the  black  boys  in  harness,  it 
was  because  they  let  him  do  it,  and  not  because  he  was 
their  master.  If  he  possessed  any  privileges  or  power,  he 
did  not  know  it.  If  anything,  he  thought  the  advan- 
tage rather  on  their  side  than  on  his,  as  they  could  play  all 
the  time,  while  he  had  to  go  to  school  to  his  Aunt  Tho- 
masia, whose  bell  he  thought  worse  than  any  curfew ;  for 
that  rang  only  at  night,  while  Miss  Thomasia's  bell  was 
sure  to  tinkle  just  at  the  moment  when  he  was  having  the 
most  beautiful  time  in  the  world.  How  gladly  would  he 
have  exchanged  places  to  mind  the  cows  and  ride  the 
horses  to  the  stable,  and  be  free  all  day  long;  and  when- 
ever he  could  slip  off  he  was  with  the  boys,  emulating 
them  and  being  adored  by  them. 

Once,  indeed,  his  mastership  appeared.  Wash  Still, 
the  overseer's  son,  who  was  about  Steve's  age,  used  to  bully 
the  smaller  boys,  and  one  day  when  Jacquelin  was  play- 
ing about  the  blacksmith's  shop,  Wash,  who  was  wait- 
ing for  a  horse  to  be  shod,  twisted  the  arm  of  Doan,  one 


4  RED   EOCK 

of  Jacquelin's  sable  team,  until  the  boy  whimpered. 
Jacquelin  never  knew  just  how  it  happened,  but  a  sudden 
fulness  came  over  him  ;  he  seized  a  hatchet  lying  by,  and 
made  an  onslaught  on  Wash,  which  came  near  performing 
on  that  youngster  the  same  operation  that  "Wash's  au- 
gust namesake  performed  on  the  celebrated  cherry-tree. 
Jacquelin  received  a  tremendous  whipping  from  his  father 
for  his  vicious  attack ;  but  his  defence  saved  his  sable 
companions  ^rom  any  further  imposition  than  his  own, 
and  Wash  was  shortly  sent  off  by  his  father  to  school. 

As  to  learning,  Jacquelin  was  not  very  apt.  It  was  only 
when  Blair  Gary  came  over  one  winter  and  went  to  school 
to  Miss  Thomasia — and  he  was  laughed  at  by  everyone, 
particularly  by  Steve,  because  Blair,  a  girl  several  years 
younger  than  he,  could  read  Latin  better — that  Jacquelin 
really  tried  to  study.  Though  no  one  knew  it,  many  of 
the  things  that  Jacquelin  did  were  done  in  the  hope  that 
Steve  might  think  well  of  him  ;  and  whether  it  was  riding 
wild  colts,  with  the  certainty  of  being  thrown  and  pos- 
sibly hurt;  diving  into  deep  pools  with  the  prospect  of 
being  drowned,  or  doing  anything  else  that  he  was  afraid 
to  do,  it  was  almost  sure  that  it  was  done  because  of 
Steve. 

With  some  natures  the  mere  performance  of  an  action  is 
sufficient  reward :  that  man  suffers  martyrdom ;  this  one 
does  a  great  act ;  another  lives  a  devoted,  saint's  life,  im- 
pelled solely  from  within,  and  with  no  other  idea  than  to 
perform  nobly.  But  these  are  rare  natures  :  the  Christo- 
phers, a  Kempises  and  Theresas  of  the  world.  The  com- 
mon herd  must  have  some  more  material  motive  :  "  wine, 
or  sleep,  or  praise."  That  charge  was  led  because  a  dark — 
or  blonde-haired  girl  was  waiting  somewhere  ;  that  gate 
was  blown  up  because  an  army  was  standing  by,  and  a 
small  cross  might  be  worn  on  the  breast  for  it ;  that  poem 
was  written  for  Lalage,  or  Laura,  Stella,  or  Saccharissa. 
Even  the  saint  was  crowned,  because  somewhere,  in  retired 
monasteries  or  in  distant  cities,  deeds  were  sure  to  be 


SEVERAL  INTRODUCTIONS  5 

known  at  last.  So,  now  it  is  a  big  boy's  praise,  and  later 
on  a  fair  girl's  favor ;  now  the  plaudits  of  the  playground, 
and  a  few  years  hence  salvos  of  artillery  and  the  thanks 
of  the  people.  And  who  shall  say  they  are  not  worthy 
motives  ?  We  are  but  men,  and  only  the  highest  win 
even  these  rewards. 

Steve  Allen  had  come  to  Red  Rock  before  Jacquelin 
could  remember — the  year  after  Steve's  father  was  killed 
in  Mexico,  leading  his  company  up  the  heights  of  Cerro 
Gordo,  and  his  mother  died  of  fever  far  down  South.  Mr. 
Gray  had  brought  the  boy  home  on  his  mother's  death ; 
so  Steve  was  part  of  Red  Rock.  Everybody  spoiled  him, 
particularly  Miss  Thomasia,  who  made  him  her  especial 
charge  and  was  notoriously  partial  to  him,  and  old  Peggy, 
Steve's  "  Momma/'  as  she  was  called,  who  had  come  from 
the  far  South  with  him,  and  with  her  sharp  eyes  and 
sharper  tongue  was  ready  to  fight  the  world  for  him. 

Steve  was  a  tall,  brown-haired  young  fellow,  as  straight 
as  a  sapling,  and  with  broad  shoulders ;  gray  eyes  that 
could  smile  or  flash ;  teeth  as  white  as  snow,  and  a  chin 
that  Dr.  Gary  used  to  say  he  must  have  got  from  his 
mother.  He  was  as  supple  as  an  eel.  He  could  turn 
back-somersaults  like  a  circus  man,  and  as  he  was  without 
fear,  so  he  was  without  reverence.  He  would  tease  Miss 
Thomasia,  and  play  practical  jokes  on  Mr.  Gray  and  Dr. 
Gary.  To  show  his  contempt  for  the  "  Indian-Killer/'  he 
went  alone  and  spent  the  night  on  the  bloody  rock,  and 
when  the  other  boys  crept  in  a  body  to  see  if  he  were  really 
there,  he  was  found  by  the  little  party  of  scared  searchers 
to  be  tranquilly  asleep  on  the  "  Indian-Killer's  "  very  grave. 
This  and  similar  acts  gained  Steve  Allen,  with  some,  the 
credit  of  being  in  a  sort  of  compact  with  the  spirit  of 
darkness,  and  several  of  the  old  negroes  on  the  plantation 
began  to  tell  of  his  wonderful  powers,  a  reputation  which 
Steve  was  not  slow  to  improve  ;  and  afterward,  many  a 
strange,  unearthly  sound,  that  scared  the  negroes,  and 
ghostly  manifestations  which  went  the  rounds  of  the  plan- 


6  BED   ROCK 

tation  might  possibly  have  been  traced  to  Steve's  fertile 
brain. 

The  only  persons  on  the  place  who  did  not  get  on  well 
with  Steve  were  Hiram  Still,  the  manager,  and  his  son, 
Wash.  Between  them  and  Steve  there  was  declared  en- 
mity, if  not  open  war.  Steve  treated  Hiram  with  super- 
ciliousness, and  Wash  with  open  contempt.  The  old 
negroes — who  remembered  Steve's  father,  Captain  Allen, 
Mr.  Gray's  cousin,  and  the  dislike  between  him  and  Hiram 
— said  it  was  "  bred  in  the  bone." 

At  length  Steve  went  off  to  school  to  Dr.  Maule,  at 
"  The  Academy/'  as  it  was  called,  no  further  designation 
being  needed  to  distinguish  it,  as  no  other  academies  could 
for  a  moment  have  entered  into  competition  with  it,  and 
there  was  a  temporary  suspension  of  the  supernatural  man- 
ifestations on  the  plantation.  Jacquelin  missed  him  sorely 
and  tried  to  imitate  him  in  many  things  ;  but  he  knew  it 
was  a  poor  imitation,  for  often  he  could  not  help  being 
afraid,  whilst  Steve  did  not  know  what  fear  was.  Jacque- 
lin's  knees  would  shake,  and  his  teeth  sometimes  chatter, 
whilst  Steve  performed  his  most  dangerous  feats  with 
mantling  cheeks  and  dancing  eyes.  However,  the  boy 
kept  on,  and  began  to  do  things  simply  because  he  was 
afraid.  One  day  he  read  how  a  great  general,  named  Mar- 
shal Turenne,  on  being  laughed  at  because  his  knees  were 
shaking  as  he  mounted  his  horse  to  go  into  battle,  replied 
that  if  his  knees  knew  where  he  was  going  to  take  them 
that  day  they  would  shake  still  more.  This  incident  helped 
Jacquelin  mightily,  and  he  took  his  knees  into  many  dan- 
gerous places.  In  time  this  had  its  effect,  and  as  his  knees 
began  to  shake  less  he  began  to  grow  more  self-confident 
and  conceited.  He  began  to  be  very  proud  of  himself,  and 
to  take  opportunities  to  show  his  superiority  over  others, 
which  developed  with  some  rapidity  the  character  existent 
somewhere  in  most  persons  :  the  prig. 

Blair  Gary  gave  the  first,  if  not  the  final,  shock  to  this 
development. 


SEVERAL   INTRODUCTIONS  7 

She  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Gary,  Mr.  Gray's  cousin, 
who  lived  a  few  miles  off  across  the  river,  at  "  Birdwood," 
perhaps  the  next  most  considerable  place  to  Red  Rock  in 
that  section.  She  was  a  slim  little  girl  with  a  rather  pale 
face,  large  brown  eyes,  and  hair  that  was  always  blowing 
into  them. 

She  would  have  given  her  eyes,  no  doubt,  to  have  been 
accepted  as  companion  by  Jacquelin,  who  was  several  years 
her  senior  ;  but  as  that  young  man  was  now  aspiring  to  be 
comrade  to  Steve  and  to  Blair's  brother,  Morris,  he  rele- 
gated Blair  to  the  companionship  of  his  small  brother, 
Rupert,  who  was  as  much  younger  than  Blair  as  she  was 
younger  than  himself,  and  treated  her  with  sovereign  dis- 
dain. The  first  shock  he  received  was  when  he  found  how 
much  better  Blair  could  read  Latin  than  he  could,  and 
how  much  Steve  thought  of  her  on  that  account.  After 
that,  he  actually  condescended  to  play  with  her  occasion- 
ally, and,  sometimes,  even  to  let  her  follow  him  about 
the  plantation  to  admire  his  feats,  whilst  he  tried  to 
revenge  himself  on  her  for  her  superior  scholastic  attain- 
ments by  showing  her  how  much  •  more  a  boy  could  do 
than  a  girl.  It  was  all  in  vain.  For,  with  this  taunt  for 
a  spur,  she  would  follow  him  even  to  the  tops  of  trees, 
or  the  bottoms  of  ponds  :  so  he  determined  to  show  his 
superiority  by  one  final  and  supreme  act.  This  was  to 
climb  to  the  roof  of  the  "high  barn,"  as  it  was  called, 
and  spring  off  into  the  top  of  a  tree  which  spread  its 
branches  below.  He  had  seen  Steve  do  it,  but  had  never 
ventured  to  try  it  himself.  He  had  often  climbed  to  the 
roof,  and  had  fancied  himself  performing  this  feat  to 
escape  from  pursuing  Indians,  but  had  never  really  con- 
templated doing  it  in  fact,  until  Blair's  persistent  emula- 
tion, daunted  by  nothing  that  he  attempted,  spurred  him 
to  undertake  it.  So  one  day,  after  some  boasting,  he 
climbed  to  the  peak  of  the  roof.  His  heart  beat  so  as  he 
gazed  down  into  the  green  mass  far  below  him  and  saw  the 
patches  of  brown  earth  through  the  leaves,  that  he  wished 


8  BED  ROCK 

he  had  not  been  so  boastful ;  but  there  was  Blair  behind 
him,  astride  of  the  roof,  her  eyes  fastened  on  him  with  a 
somewhat  defiant  gaze.  He  thought  how  Steve  would  jeer 
if  he  knew  he  had  turned  back.  So,  with  a  call  of  derision 
to  Blair  to  see  what  "  a  man  could  do/'  he  set  his  teeth, 
shut  his  eyes,  and  took  the  jump,  and  landed  safely  below, 
among  the  boughs,  his  outstretched  arms  gathering  them 
in  as  he  sank  amidst  them,  until  they  stopped  his  descent 
and  he  found  a  limb  and  climbed  down,  his  heart  bump- 
ing with  excitement  and  pride.  Blair,  he  felt  sure,  was 
at  last  "stumped/'  As  he  sprang  to  the  ground  and 
looked  up  he  saw  a  sight  which  made  his  heart  give  a 
bigger  bound  than  it  ha*d  ever  done  in  all  his  life.  There 
was  little  Blair  on  the  very  peak  of  the  roof,  the  very 
point  of  the  gable,  getting  ready  to  follow  him.  Her  face 
was  white,  her  lips  were  compressed,  arid  her  eyes  were 
opened  so  wide  that  he  could  see  them  even  from  where 
he  was.  She  was  poised  like  a  bird  ready  to  fly. 

te  Blair  !  Blair  ! "  he  cried,  waving  her  back.  f(  Don't ! 
don't ! "  But  Blair  took  no  heed.  She  only  settled  her- 
self for  a  firmer  foothold,  and  the  next  second,  with  out- 
stretched arms,  she  sprang  into  space.  Whether  it  was 
that  his  cry  distracted  her,  or  whether  her  hair  blew  into 
her  eyes  and  made  her  miss  her  step,  or  whether  she  would 
have  misjudged  her  distance  anyhow,  instead  of  reaching 
the  thickly  leaved  part  where  Jacquelin  had  landed,  she 
struck  where  the  boughs  were  much  less  thick,  and  came 
crashing  through  :  down,  down,  from  bough  to  bough, 
until  she  landed  on  the  lowest  limb,  where  she  stopped  for 
a  second,  and  then  rolled  over  and  fell  in  a  limp  little 
bundle  on  the  ground,  where  she  lay  quite  still.  Jacquelin 
never  forgot  the  feeling  he  had  at  that  moment.  He  was 
sure  she  was  dead,  and  that  he  was  a  murderer.  In  a  sec- 
ond he  was  down  on  his  knees,  bending  over  her. 

" Blair}  Blair,"  he  cried.  "Dear  Blair,  are  you  hurt  ?" 
But  there  was  no  answer.  And  he  began  to  whimper  in  a 
very  unmanly  fashion  for  one  who  had  been  so  boastful  a 


SEVERAL   INTRODUCTIONS  9 

moment  before,  and  to  pray,  too,  which  is  not  so  unmanly  ; 
but  his  wits  were  about  him,  and  it  came  to  him  quite 
clearly  that,  if  she  were  not  dead,  the  best  thing  to  do  was 
to  unfasten  her  neck-band  and  bathe  her  face.  So  off  to 
the  nearest  water  he  put  as  hard  as  his  legs  could  take 
him,  and  dipped  his  handkerchief  in  the  horse-trough,  and 
then,  grabbing  up  a  bucket  near  by,  filled  it  and  ran  back 
with  it.  Blair  was  still  motionless  and  white,  but  he  wiped 
her  little,  scratched  face  and  bathed  it  again  and  again, 
and,  presently,  to  his  inexpressible  joy,  she  sighed  and  half 
opened  her  eyes  and  sighed  again,  and  then,  as  he  was  still 
asking  her  how  she  felt,  said,  faintly : 

"I'm  all  right— I  did  it." 

In  his  joy  Jacquelin  actually  kissed  her.  It  seemed  to 
him  afterward  to  mark  an  epoch. 

The  next  quarter  of  an  hour  was  passed  in  getting 
Blair's  breath  back.  Fortunately  for  her,  if  not  for  her 
dress,  her  clothes  had  caught  here  and  there  as  she  came 
crashing  through  the  branches,  and  though  the  breath 
was  knocked  out  of  her,  and  she  was  shaken  and  scratched 
and  stunned,  no  bones  were  broken,  and  she  was  not 
seriously  hurt  after  all.  She  proposed  that  they  should 
say  nothing  about  it  to  anyone  :  she  could  get  his  Mammy 
to  mend  her  clothes.  But  this  magnanimous  offer  Jacque- 
lin firmly  declined.  He  was  afraid  that  Blair  might  be 
hurt  some  way  that  she  did  not  know,  and  he  declared 
that  he  should  go  straight  and  tell  it  at  the  house. 

"  But  I  did  it  myself/'  persisted  little  Blair  ;  "  you  were 
not  to  blame.  You  called  to  me  not  to  do  it." 

"  Did  you  hear  me  call  ?     Then  why  did  you  do  it  ?" 

"  Because  you  had  done  it  and  said  I  could  not." 

"  But  didn't  you  know  you  would  get  hurt  ?" 

She  nodded. 

"  I  thought  so." 

Jacquelin  looked  at  her  long  and  serious!/,  and  that 
moment  a  new  idea  seemed  to  him  to  enter  his  mind  : 
that,  after  all,  it  might  be  as  brave  to  do  a  dangerous 


10  EED    BOOK 

thing  which  you  are  afraid  to  do,  as  if  you  are  not  at  all 
afraid. 

"  Blair,  you  are  a  brick/'  he  said  ;  ' '  you  are  braver  than 
any  boy  I  know — as  brave  as  Steve.  As  brave  as  Marshal 
Turenne."  Which  was  sweet  enough  to  Blair  to  make 
amends  for  all  her  bruises  and  scratches. 

From  that  time  Jacquelin  made  up  his  mind  that  he 
would  never  try  to  stump  her  again,  but  would  guard  her, 
and  this  sweetened  to  him  the  bitterness  of  having  to  confess 
when  he  got  to  the  house.  He  did  it  like  a  man,  going  to  his 
father,  of  whom,  at  heart,  he  was  mightily  afraid,  and  tell- 
ing him  the  whole  story  alone  without  the  least  reference 
to  Blair's  part  in  it,  taking  the  entire  blame  on  himself ; 
and  it  was  only  after  he  had  received  the  punishment  which 
was  deemed  due  him  that  Blair's  joint  responsibility  was 
known  from  her  own  lips. 

This  escapade,  however,  proved  a  little  too  much  for 
the  elders,  and  Jacquelin  was  sent  off  to  school,  to  the 
Academy  at  Brutusville,  under  the  learned  Doctor  Maule, 
where,  still  emulating  Steve,  who  was  the  leader  in  most 
of  the  mischief  that  went  on  at  that  famous  institution  of 
learning,  he  made  more  reputation  by  the  way  he  con- 
structed a  trap  to  catch  one  of  the  masters,  Mr.  Eliphalet 
Bush,  than  in  construing  the  ancient  language  which  was 
that  gentleman's  particular  department. 


CHAPTER  II 

IN    WHICH    TWO     STRANGERS    VISIT    RED    ROCK   AND   ARE 
INVITED   TO   COME   AGAIN 

EVERYONE  knows  what  a  seething  ferment  there  was 
for  some  time  before  the  great  explosion  in  the  beginning 
of  the  Sixties — that  strange  decade  that  changed  the  civ- 
ilization of  the  country.  Eed  Rock,  like  the  rest  of  the 
land,  was  turned  from  a  haunt  of  peace  into  a  forum. 
Politics  were  rampant ;  every  meeting  was  a  lyceum ;  boys 
became  orators ;  young  girls  wore  partisan  badges  ;  chil- 
dren used  party-catchwords,  which  they  did  not  under- 
stand— except  one  thing:  that  they  represented  "their 
side."  There  existed  an  irreconcilable  difference  between 
the  two  sections  of  the  country.  It  could  not  be  crushed. 
Hydra-headed,  it  appeared  after  every  extirpation. 

One  side  held  slavery  right  under  the  double  title  of  the 
Bible  and  of  the  Constitution.  The  leader  of  the  other  side 
said,  "If  it  was  not  wrong,  then  nothing  was  wrong";  but 
declared  that  he  would  not  interfere  with  it. 

"  Bosh  ! "  said  Major  Legaie.  "  That  is  not  a  man  to 
condone  what  he  thinks  wrong.  If  he  is  elected,  it  means 
the  end  of  slavery."  And  so  said  many  others.  Most  of 
them,  rather  than  yield,  were  for  War.  To  them  War  was 
only  an  episode  :  a  pageant :  a  threshold  to  glory.  Dr. 
Gary,  who  was  a  Whig,  was  opposed  to  it ;  he  had  seen  it, 
and  he  took  the  stump  in  opposition  to  Major  Legaie. 

"  We  could  whip  them  with  pop-guns,"  said  the  fire- 
eaters.  Fordyce  Lambly  and  Hurlbut  Bail  were  two  of 
them. 

"But  will  they  fight  with  that  weapon?"  asked  Dr. 

11 


12  KED   ROCK 

Gary,  scornfully.  He  never  liked  Lambly  and  Bail ;  he 
said  they  had  no  convictions.  "  A  man  with  convictions 
may  be  wrong  ;  but  you  know  where  to  meet  him,  sir. 
You  never  know  where  to  find  these  men.'" 

"  Do  you  know  what  War  is  ?  "  he  said  in  a  speech,  in 
reply  to  a  secession-speech  by  Major  Legaie,  "  War  is  the 
most  terrible  of  all  disasters,  except  Dishonor.  I  do  not 
speak  of  the  dangers.  For  every  brave  man  must  face 
danger  as  it  comes,  and  should  court  glory ;  and  death 
for  one's  Country  is  glorious.  I  speak  merely  of  the 
change  that  War  inevitably  brings.  War  is  the  destruc- 
tion of  everything  that  exists.  You  may  fail  or  you  may 
win,  but  what  exists  passes,  and  something  different  takes 
its  place.  The  plough-share  becomes  a  spear,  and  the 
priming-hook  a  sword ;  the  poor  may  become  richer,  bu  b 
the  rich  must  become  poorer.  You  are  the  wealthiest  peo- 
ple in  the  world  to-day — not  in  mere  riches,  but  in  wealth. 
You  may  become  the  poorest.  No  people  who  enter  a  war 
wealthy  and  content  ever  come  out  of  war  so.  I  do  not 
say  that  this  is  an  unanswerable  reason  for  not  going  to 
war.  For  war  may  be  right  at  any  cost.  But  it  is  not  to  be 
entered  on  unadvisedly  or  ligMly  ;  but  in  the  fear  of  God. 
It  should  not  be  undertaken  from  mere  enthusiasm ;  but 
deliberately,  with  a  full  recognition  of  its  cost,  and  reso- 
lution to  support  its  possible  and  direst  consequences.'" 

When  he  had  ended,  Mr.  Hurlbut  Bail,  a  speaker  from 
the  city,  who  had  come  to  the  county  to  stir  up  the  peo- 
ple, said  : 

"  Oh  !  Dr.  Gary  is  nothing  but  a  Cassandra." 

"  Did  Troy  fall  or  not  ?  "  asked  Dr.  Gary,  calmly. 

This,  of  course,  changed  no  one.  In  times  of  high  feel- 
ing debate  only  fuses  opinions  into  convictions ;  only 
fans  the  flames  and  makes  the  fire  a  conflagration. 

When  the  war  came  the  old  Doctor  flung  in  his  lot  with 
his  friends,  and  his  gravity,  that  had  grown  on  him  of  late, 
was  lighted  up  by  the  old  fire  ;  he  took  his  place  and  per- 
formed his  part  with  kindling  eyes  and  an  erecter  mien. 


TWO   STRANGERS   VISIT  RED  ROCK  13 

HuiTbut  Bail  became  an  editor.  This,  however,  was  later 
on. 

The  constantly  increasing  public  ferment  and  the  ever- 
enlarging  and  deepening  cloud  did  not  prevent  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  life  from  flowing  in  its  accustomed  chan- 
nels :  men  planned  and  performed  ;  sowed  and  reaped ; 
bought  and  sold,  as  in  ordinary  times.  And  as  in  the 
period  before  that  other  flood,  there  was  marrying  and 
giving  in  marriage ;  so  now,  with  the  cloud  ever  mount- 
ing up  the  sky,  men  loved  and  married,  and  made  their 
homes  as  the  birds  paired  and  built  their  nests. 

Among  those  who  builded  in  that  period  in  the  Red 
Eock  district  were  a  young  couple,  both  of  them  cousins 
in  some  degree  of  nearly  every  gentle  family  in  the  county, 
including  the  Grays  and  Carys.  And  after  the  blessing  by 
old  Mr.  Langstaff,  at  St.  Ann's,  amid  the  roses  and  smiles 
of  the  whole  neighborhood,  they  spent  their  honeymoon, 
as  the  custom  was  then,  in  being  entertained  from  house 
to  house,  through  the  neighborhood.  In  this  round  of 
gayety  they  came  in  due  order  to  Red  Rock,  where  the  en- 
tertainment was  perhaps  to  be  the  greatest  of  all.  The 
amount  of  preparation  was  almost  unprecedented,  and  the 
gentry  of  the  whole  county  were  invited  and  expected. 
As  it  was  a  notable  occasion  and  near  the  holidays,  Jacque- 
lin  was  permitted  to  come  home  from  Dr.  Maule's  on  the 
joint  application  of  his  mother,  his  Aunt  Thomasia,  and 
Blair  Gary  ;  and  Blair  was  allowed  to  come  over  with  her 
mother  and  father  and  spend  the  night,  and  was  promised 
to  be  allowed  to  sit  up  as  late  as  she  pleased — a  privilege 
not  to  be  lightly  esteemed. 

Steve  Allen,  with  a  faint  mustache  curled  above  his 
smiling  mouth,  was  home  from  the  University,  and  so 
were  Morris  Gary  and  the  other  young  fellows ;  and  the 
office  in  the  yard,  blue  with  tobacco-smoke,  was  as  full  of 
young  men  and  pipes  and  dogs,  as  the  upstairs  chambers  in 
the  mansion  were  of  young  girls  and  ribbons  and  muslin.  , 

What  a  heaven  that  outer  office  was  to  Jacquelin,  and  * 


14  KED   KOCK 

what  an  angel  Steve  was  to  call  him  t(  Kid  "  and  let  him 
adore  him  ! 

Among  the  company  that  night  there  were  two  guests 
who  "happened  in  "  quite  unexpectedly,  but  who  were 
"all  the  more  welcome  on  that  account,"  the  host  said 
graciously  in  greeting  them.  They  were  two  gentlemen 
from  quite  another  part  of  the  country,  or,  perhaps,  those 
resident  there  would  have  said,  of  the  world  ;  as  they  came 
from  the  North.  They  had  come  South  on  business  con- 
nected with  a  sort  of  traditionary  claim  to  mineral  lands 
lying  somewhere  in  the  range  of  mountains  which  could 
be  seen  from  the  Red  Rock  plantation.  At  least,  Mr. 
Welch,  the  elder  of  the  two,  came  on  that  errand.  The 
younger,  Mr.  Lawrence  Middleton,  came  simply  for  pleas- 
ure, and  because  Mr.  Welch,  his  cousin,  had  invited  him. 
He  had  just  spoiled  his  career  at  college  by  engaging,  with 
his  chum  and  crony,  Aurelius  Thurston,  in  the  awful  crime 
of  painting  the  President's  gray  horse  a  brilliant  red,  and 
being  caught  at  it.  He  was  suspended  for  this  prank,  and 
now  was  spending  his  time,  literally  rusticating,  seeing  a 
little  of  the  world,  while  he  made  up  his  mind  whether  he 
should  study  Law  and  accept  his  cousin's  offer  to  go  into 
his  office,  or  whether  he  should  engage  in  a  manufacturing 
business  which  his  family  owned.  His  preference  was 
rather  for  the  latter,  which  was  now  being  managed  by  a 
man  named  Bolter,  who  had  made  it  very  successful ;  but 
Reely  Thurston  intended  to  be  a  lawyer,  and  wanted  Law- 
rence to  go  in  with  him  ;  so  he  was  taking  time  to  consider. 
This  visit  South  had  inclined  him  to  the  law. 

Mr.  Welch  and  Middleton  had  concluded  their  business 
in  the  mountains  :  finding  the  lands  they  were  seeking  to 
lie  partly  in  the  clouds  and  partly  in  the  possession  of 
those  whom  they  had  always  heard  spoken  of  as  "  squat- 
ters ; "  but  now  found  to  be  a  population  who  had  been 
there  since  before  the  Revolution,  and  had  built  villages 
and  towns.  They  were  now  returning  home  and  were 
making  their  way  back  toward  the  railroad,  half  a  day's 


AMONG   THE   COMPANY   THAT  NIGHT   THERE  WERE  TWO  GUESTS  WHO 
'•HAPPENED  IN"   QUITE  UNEXPECTEDLY. 


TWO   STEANGEES   VISIT   EED   EOCK  15 

journey  farther  on.  They  had  expected  to  reach  Brutus- 
ville,  the  county  seat,  that  night ;  but  a  rain  the  day 
before  had  washed  away  the  bridges,  and  compelled  them 
to  take  a  circuitous  route  by  a  ford  higher  up  the  river. 
There,  not  knowing  the  ford,  they  had  almost  been  swept 
away,  and  would  certainly  have  lost  their  vehicle  but  for 
the  timely  appearance  of  a  young  countryman,  who  hap- 
pened to  come  along  on  his  way  home  from  a  political 
gathering  somewhere. 

Their  deliverer  :  a  certain  Mr.  Andy  Stamper,  was  so 
small  that  at  a  distance  he  looked  like  a  boy,  but  on  nearer 
view  he  might  have  been  anywhere  from  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  to  thirty,  and  he  proved  extraordinarily  active  and 
efficient.  He  swam  in  and  helped  Middleton  get  their 
buggy  out  of  the  river,  and  then  amused  Mr.  Welch  very 
much  and  incensed  Middleton  by  his  comments.  He  had 
just  been  to  a  political  meeting  at  the  Court  House,  he 
said,  where  he  had  heard  "  the  finest  speech  that  ever  was 
made/'  from  Major  Legaie.  "  He  gave  the  Yankees  mi," 
and  he  "  just  wished  he  could  get  every  Yankee  in  that 
river  and  drown  'em — every  dog-goned  one  ! "  This  as  he 
was  working  up  to  his  neck  in  water. 

Mr.  Welch  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  look  on.Mid- 
dleton's  ruddy  face. 

"Now,  where'd  you  find  a  Yankee'd  go  in  that  river 
like  me  an'  you— or  could  do  it,  for  that  matter  ?  "  the 
little  fellow  asked  of  Middleton,  confidentially. 

"We  are  Yankees,"  blurted  out  Middleton,  hotly. 
"And  a  plenty  of  them  would."  His  eye  flashed  as  he 
turned  to  his  rescuer. 

The  little  countryman's  eyes  opened  wide,  and  his  jaw 

fell. 

"Well,  I'm  durned  !"  he  said,  slowly,  staring  in  open 
astonishment,  and  Middleton  began  to  look  gratified  at 
the  impression  he  had  made. 

"You  know,  you're  the  first  I  ever  seen  as  wan't 
ashamed  to  own  it.  Why,  you  looks  most  like  we  all  I" 


16  BED   ROCK 

Middleton  flushed;  but  little  Stamper  looked  so  sin- 
cerely ingenuous  that  he  suddenly  burst  out  laughing. 

After  that  they  became  very  friendly,  and  the  travellers 
learned  much  of  the  glories  of  the  Grays  and  Carys,  and 
of  the  charms  of  a  certain  Miss  Delia  Dove,  who,  Stamper 
declared,  was  as  pretty  as  any  young  lady  that  went  to  the 
Brick  Church.  Stamper  offered  to  guide  them,  but  as  he 
refused  to  take  any  money  for  what  he  had  done,  and  as 
he  said  he  was  going  to  see  Miss  Delia  Dove  and  could 
take  a  nearer  cut  through  the  woods  to  his  home,  Mr. 
Welch  declined  to  accept  his  offer,  and  contented  himself 
with  getting  him  to  draw  a  map  of  the  roads  from  that 
point  to  the  county  seat. 

"All  you've  got  to  do  is  to  follow  that  map:  keep  the 
main  plain  road  and  you  can't  get  out ;  but  I  advise  you 
to  turn  in  at  the  first  plantation  you  come  to.  If  you  go 
to  Red  Rock  you'll  have  a  good  time.  They're  givin'  a 
party  thar  to-night.  Major  Legaie,  he  left  the  meetin' 
to  go  thar." 

He  disappeared  at  a  gallop  down  a  bridle-path  through 
the  woods. 

Notwithstanding  the  young  countryman's  assurances 
and  map,  the  two  strangers  had  gotten  "  out."  The 
plantations  were  large  in  that  section  and  the  roads  lead- 
ing off  to  them  from  the  highway,  in  the  dark  were  all 
alike,  so  that  when  night  fell  the  two  travellers  were  in 
a  serious  dilemma.  They  at  length  came  to  a  gate  and 
were  just  considering  turning  in  at  it  when  a  carriage 
drove  up  in  front  of  them.  A  horseman  who  had  been 
riding  behind  the  vehicle  came  forward  at  a  trot,  calling 
out  that  he  would  open  the  gate. 

"I  thought  you  fellows  would  h<ive  been  there  hours 
ago,"  he  said  familiarly  to  the  two  strangers  as  he  passed, 
evidently  mistaking  them  in  the  dusk  for  some  of  his 
friends.  "'A  laggard  in  love  is  a  dastard  in  war." 

The  rest  of  his  speech  was  lost  in  the  click  of  the  gate- 
latch  and  his  apostrophe  to  his  horse.  When  he  found 


TWO    STRANGERS  VISIT  RED   ROCK  17 

that  Mr.  Welch  was  a  stranger,  he  changed  instantly.  His 
tone  became  graver  and  more  gracious. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.  I  thought  from  your  vehicle 
that  you  were  some  of  these  effeminate  youngsters  who 
have  given  up  the  saddle  for  that  new  four-wheeled  con- 
trivance, and  are  ruining  both  our  strains  of  horses  and  of 
men." 

Mr.  Welch  asked  if  he  knew  where  they  could  find  a 
night's  lodging. 

"  Why,  at  every  house  in  the  State,  sir,  I  hope,"  said 
Dr.  Gary  ;  for  it  was  he.  "  Certainly,  at  the  nearest  one. 
Drive  right  in.  We  are  going  to  our  cousins',  and  they 
will  be  delighted  to  have  you.  You  are  just  in  good  time  ; 
for  there  is  to  be  quite  a  company  there  to-night."  And 
refusing  to  listen  for  a  moment  to  Mr.  Welch's  suggestion 
that  it  might  not  be  convenient  to  have  strangers,  Dr.  Gary 
held  the  gate  open  for  them  to  pass  through. 

fe  Drive  in,  sir,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  of  gracious  command. 
"  I  never  heard  of  its  being  inconvenient  to  have  a  guest," 
and  in  they  drove. 

"A  gentleman  by  his  voice,"  the  travellers  heard  him 
explaining  a  little  later  into  the  window  of  the  carriage 
behind  them.  And  then  he  added,  "  My  only  doubt  was 
his  vehicle." 

After  a  half-mile  drive  through  the  woods  they  entered 
the  open  fields,  and  from  a  hill  afar  off,  on  top  of  which 
shone  a  house  lit  till  it  gleamed  like  a  cluster  of  brill- 
iants, a  chorus  of  dogs  sent  them  an  inquiring  greeting. 

They  passed  through  a  w!Se  gate,  and  ascended  a  steep 
hill  through  a  grove,  and  Middleton's  heart  sank  at  the 
idea  of  facing  an  invited  company,  with  a  wardrobe  that 
had  been  under  water  within  the  last  two  hours.  Instant- 
ly they  were  in  a  group  of  welcomers,  gentlemen,  ser- 
vants, and  dogs;  negro  boys  running;  dogs  frisking  and 
yelping  and  young  men  laughing  about  the  door  of  the 
newly  arrived  carriage.  While  through  it  all  sounded  the 
placid  voice  of  Dr.  Gary  reassuring  the  visitors  and  in- 


18  KED   KOCK 

viting  them  in.  He  brought  the  host  to  them,  and  pre- 
sented them  : 

"My  friends,  Mr.  "Welch  and  young  Mr.  Middle  ton — 
my  cousin  and  friend,  Mr.  Gray."  It  was  his  customary 
formula  in  introducing.  All  men  were  his  friends.  And 
Mr.  Welch  shortly  observed  how  his  manner  changed  when- 
ever he  addressed  a  lady  or  a  stranger  :  to  one  he  was  al- 
ways a  courtier,  to  the  other  always  a  host. 

As  they  were  ushered  into  the  hall,  Middleton's  blue 
eyes  glistened  and  opened  wide  at  the  scene  before  him. 
He  found  himself  facing  several  score  of  people  clustered 
about  in  one  of  the  handsomest  halls  he  ever  saw,  some  of 
whom  he  took  in  at  the  first  glance  to  be  remarkably 
pretty  girls  in  white  and  pink,  and  all  with  their  eyes, 
filled  with  curiosity,  bent  on  the  new  comers.  If  Middle- 
ton's  ruddiness  increased  tenfold  under  these  glances,  it 
was  only  what  any  other  young  man's  would  have  done 
under  similar  circumstances,  and  it  was  not  until  he  had 
been  led  off  under  convoy  of  a  tall  and  very  solemn  old 
servant  in  a  blue  coat  with  brass  buttons,  and  shown  into 
a  large  room  with  mahogany  furniture  and  a  bed  so  high 
that  it  had  a  set  of  steps  beside  it,  that  he  was  able  to  col- 
lect his  ideas,  and  recall  some  of  those  to  whom  he  had 
been  introduced.  What  a  terrible  fix  it  was  for  a  fellow 
to  be  in  !  He  opened  his  portmanteau  and  turned  to  his 
cousin  in  despair. 

"Isn't  this  a  mess?" 

"  What  ?  " 

"  This  !  I  can  never  go  fcut  there.  All  those  girls  ! 
Just  look  at  these  clothes  !  Everything  dripping  !— some 
of  them  awfully  pretty,  too.  That  one  with  the  dark 
eyes  ! "  He  was  down  on  his  knees,  raking  in  his  port- 
manteau, and  dragging  the  soaking  garments  out  one  by 
one.  "  Now,  look  at  that." 

"  You  need  not  go  out.     Fll  make  your  excuses." 

"What !  Of  course  I'm  go " 

Just  then  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 


TWO   STRANGERS   VISIT   RED   ROCK  19 

"  Come  in."     Middleton  finished  his  sentence. 

The  door  opened  slowly  and  the  old  servant  entered, 
bearing  with  a  solemnity  that  amounted  almost  to  rever- 
ence, a  waiter  with  decanters  and  an  array  of  glasses  and 
bowls.  He  was  followed  by  the  young  boy  who  had  been 
introduced  as  their  host's  son. 

"  My  father  understood  that  you  had  a  little  accident  at 
the  river,  and  he  wishes  to  know  if  he  cannot  lend  you 
something,"  said  Jacquelin. 

Mr.  Welch  spoke  first,  his  eyes  twinkling  as  he  glanced 
at  his  cousin,  who  stood  a  picture  of  indecision  and  bewil- 
derment. 

"  Why  yes,  my  cousin,  Mr.  Middleton  here,  would  be 
greatly  obliged,  I  think.  He  is  a  little  particular  about  first 
impressions,  and  the  presence  of  so  many  charming " 

Middleton  protested. 

"  Why,  certainly,  sir,"  Jacquelin  began,  then  turned  to 
Middleton — ( '  Steve's  would  fit  you — Steve's  my  cousin — 

he's  at  the  University — he's  just  six  feet.  Wait,  sir " 

And  before  they  could  stop  him,  he  was  gone,  and  a  few 
minutes  later  tapped  on  the  door,  with  his  arms  full  of 
clothes. 

"Uncle  Daniel's  as  slow  as  a  steer,  so  I  fetched  'em  my- 
self," he  panted, -with  boyish  impatience,  as  he  dropped 
the  clothes  partly  on  a  sofa  and  partly  on  the  floor. 
"  Aunt  Thomasia  was  afraid  you'd  catch  cold,  so  she  made 
me  bring  these  flannels.  She  always  is  afraid  you'll  catch 
cold.  Steve  told  her  if  you'd  take  a  good  swig  out  of  a 
bottle  'twould  be  worth  all  the  flannel  in  the  State — 
Steve's  always  teasing  her."  With  a  boy's  friendliness  he 
had  established  himself  now  as  the  visitors'  ally. 

"  I'm  glad  you  came  to-night.  We're  going  to  have 
lots  of  fun.  Were  you  at  the  speaking  to-day  ?  They  say 
the  Major  made  the  finest  speech  ever  was  heard.  Some 
say  he's  better  than  Calhoun  ever  was  ;  just  gave  the  Yan- 
kees the  mischief  !  I  wish  they'd  come  down  here  and  try 
us  once,  don't  you  ?" 


20  RED   ROCK 

Mr.  Welch  glanced  amusedly  at  Middleton,  whose  face 
changed  ;  but  fortunately  the  boy  was  too  much  inter- 
ested in  the  suit  Middleton  had  just  put  on  to  notice  the 
effect. 

"  I  thought  Steve's  would  fit  you,"  he  said,  with  that 
proud  satisfaction  in  his  judgment  being  verified  which 
characterizes  the  age  of  thirteen,  and  some  other  ages  as 
well. 

"  Steve's  nineteen,  and  he's  six  feet ! — You  are  six  feet 
too  ?  I  thought  you  were  about  that.  I  hope  I'll  be  six 
feet.  I  like  that  height,  don't  you  ?  Steve's  at  the  Uni- 
versity, but  he  don't  study  much,  I  reckon.  Are  you  at 
college  ? — Where  ?  Oh  !  I  know.  I  had  a  cousin  who 
went  there.  He  and  two  or  three  other  Southern  fellows 
laid  outside  of  the  hall  for  one  of  those  abolition  chaps 
who  was  making  a  speech,  to  cut  his  ears  off  when  he  came 
out,  and  they'd  have  done  it  if  he  had  come  out  that  way. 
I  reckon  it's  a  good  college,  but  I'm  going  to  the  Univer- 
sity when  I'm  sixteen.  I'm  thirteen  now — You  thought  I 
was  older  ?  I  wanted  to  go  to  West  Point,  but  my  father 
won't  let  me.  Maybe,  Rupert  will  go  there.  I  go  to 
school  at  the  Academy — Doctor  Maule's — everybody  knows 
about  him.  I  tell  you,  he  knows  a  lot. — You  have  left  col- 
lege ?  Was  it  too  hot  for  you  ?  Were  you  after  some- 
body's ears  too  ?  What  !  painted  the  President's  horse 
red  1  Oh  !  wasn't  that  a  good  one  !  I  wish  I'd  been  there. 
I'll  tell  Steve  and  Blair  about  that.  Steve  put  a  cow  up 
in  the  Eotunda  once.  The  worst  thing  I  ever  did  was 
making  Blair  jump  off  the  high  barn.  I  don't  count 
flinging  old  Eliphalet  Bush  in  the  creek,  because  I  believe 
his  teeth  were  false  anyhow  !  But  I'll  remember  painting 
that  horse.  I  reckon  he  was  an  abolitionist  too  ?  " 

So  the  boy  rattled  on,  his  guests  drawing  him  out  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  him. 

"  What  State  are  you  from  ?  Maybe,  we  are  cousins  ?  " 
he  said  presently,  giving  the  best  evidence  of  his  friendli* 
ness. 


TWO   STRANGERS   VISIT  RED   ROCK  21 

"  What !  Mass — a —  !     I  beg  your  pardon/' 

He  looked  so  confused  that  both  Mr.  Welch  and  Middle- 
ton  took  some  pains  to  sooth  him. 

"  Yes,  of  course  I  was  not  talking  about  you  ;  but  I 
wouldn't  have  said  anything  about  Massachusetts  if  I  had 
known  you  came  from  there.  I  wouldn't  like  anybody  to 
say  anything  about  my  State.  You  won't  mind  what  I 
said,  will  you  ?  I  think  Massachusetts  the  best  of  the 

Northern  States — anyhow "  And  he  left  them,  his 

cheeks  still  glowing  from  embarrassment. 

This  apology,  sincerely  given,  with  a  certain  stress  on  the 
word  Northern,  amused  Mr.  Welch,  and  even  Middleton,  to 
whom  it  presented,  however,  an  entirely  new  view. 

"Aren't  they  funny?"  asked  Middleton  of  his  cousin, 
after  their  young  host  had  left  them.  "  You  know  I  be- 
lieve they  really  think  it.'9 

"Larry,  you  have  understated  it.  They  think  they 
know  it." 

Jacquelin  employed  the  few  moments,  in  which  he  pre- 
ceded the  visitors  to  the  hall,  in  telling  all  he  had  learned, 
and  when  Mr.  Welch  and  Middleton  appeared  they  found 
themselves  in  the  position  of  the  most  distinguished  guests. 
The  fact  that  they  came  from  the  North,  and  Jacquelin's 
account  of  his  mistake,  had  increased  the  desire  to  show 
them  honor.  "  The  hospitality  of  the  South  knows  no  lati- 
tude," said  Dr.  Gary,  in  concluding  a  gracious  half  apology 
to  Mr.  Welch  for  Jacquelin's  error  ;  and  he  proceeded  deftly 
to  name  over  a  list  of  great  men  from  Massachusetts,  and  to 
link  their  names  with  those  of  the  men  of  the  South  whom 
she  most  delighted  to  honor.  His  dearest  friend  at  col- 
lege, he  said,  was  from  New  England,  and  unless  he  was 
mistaken,  Anson  Kockfield  would  one  day  be  heard  of. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  gracious  or  more  delicately 
done ;  and  when  supper  was  announced,  Mr.  Welch  was 
taken  to  the  table  by  the  hostess  herself,  and  his  health 
was  drunk  before  the  groom's.  Middleton  meanwhile 
found  himself  no  less  honored.  The  artistic  feat  performed 


22  RED   ROCK 

on  the  President's  horse  had  made  him  a  noted  personage, 
and  in  consequence  of  this  and  of  the  freemasonry  which 
exists  among  young  college-men,  he  was  soon  surrounded 
by  all  the  younger  portion  of  the  company,  and  was  ex- 
changing views  with  Steve  Allen  and  the  other  young 
fellows  with  that  exaggerated  man-of-the-world  air  which 
characterizes  the  age  and  occupation  of  collegians. 

"  Where  is  Blair  ?  "  he  asked  Jacquelin,  presently,  who 
was  standing  by  Steve,  open-eyed,  drinking  in  their  wis- 
dom as  only  a  boy  of  thirteen  can  drink  in  the  sapience  of 
men  of  nineteen  or  twenty. 

" Over  there."  Jacquelin  nodded  toward  another  part 
of  the  hall.  Middleton  looked,  but  all  he  saw  was  a  little 
girl  sitting  behind  a  big  chair,  evidently  trying  to  conceal 
herself,  and  shaking  her  head  violently  at  Jacquelin,  who 
was  beckoning  to  her.  Jacquelin  ran  over  to  her  and 
caught  her  by  the  hand,  whereupon  there  was  a  little 
scuffle  between  them  behind  the  chair,  and  as  Middleton 
watched  it  he  caught  her  eye.  The  next  second  she 
rose,  smoothed  her  little  white  frock  with  quite  an  air, 
and  came  straight  across  with  Jacquelin  to  where  they 
stood.  "This  is  Blair,  Mr.  Middleton/'  the  boy  said 
to  the  astonished  guest.  And  Miss  Blair  held  out  her 
hand  to  him  with  an  odd  mixture  of  the  child  and  the 
lady. 

"How  do  you  do,  sir  ?"  She  evidently  considered  him 
one  of  the  ancients. 

"  She  jump  off  a  high  barn  ! "  Middleton's  eyes  opened 
wide. 

"Blair  is  the  champion  jumper  of  the  family,"  said 
Steve,  tall  and  condescending,  catching  hold  of  her  half- 
teasingly,  and  drawing  her  up  close  to  him. 

"And  she  is  a  brick/'  added  Master  Jacquelin,  with 
mingled  condescension  and  admiration,  which  brought  the 
blushes  back  to  the  little  girl's  cheeks  and  made  her  look 
very  charming.  The  next  moment  she  was  talking  to 
Middleton  about  the  episode  of  the  painted  horse ;  ex- 


TWO   STRANGERS  VISIT   RED   ROCK  23 

changing  adventures  with  him,  and  asking  him  questions 
about  his  chum,  Reely  Thurston  and  his  cousin,  Ruth 
Welch,  whom  he  had  mentioned,  as  if  she  had  known  him 
always. 

It  was  a  night  that  Middleton  never  forgot.  So  com- 
pletely was  he  adopted  by  his  hosts  that  he  could  scarcely 
believe  that  he  had  not  been  one  of  them  all  his  life.  As 
Mr.  Welch  said  truly  :  they  had  the  gift  of  hospitality. 
Jacquelin  and  Blair  constituted  themselves  young  Middle- 
ton's  especial  hosts,  and  he  made  an  engagement  to  visit 
with  them  all  the  points  which  they  wished  to  show  him, 
provided  his  cousin  could  accept  their  invitation  to  spend 
several  days  there. 

In  the  midst  of  their  talk  an  old  mammy  in  a  white 
apron,  with  a  tall  bandanna  turban  around  her  head, 
suddenly  appeared  in  a  doorway,  and  dropping  a  curtsey 
made  her  way  over  to  Blair,  like  a  ship  bearing  down  un- 
der full  sail.  There  was  a  colloquy  between  the  two,  in- 
audible, but  none  the  less  animated  and  interesting,  the 
old  woman  urging  something  and  the  little  girl  arguing 
against  it.  Then  Blair  went  across  and  appealed  to  her 
mother,  who,  after  a  little  demurring,  came  over  and  spoke 
to  the  mammy,  and  thereon  began  further  argument. 
She  was  evidently  taking  Blair's  side ;  but  she  was  not 
commanding,  she  was  rather  pleading.  Middleton,  new  to 
the  customs,  was  equally  surprised  and  amused  to  hear  the 
tones  of  the  old  colored  woman's  voice  : 

"  Well,  jist  a  little  while."  Then  as  she  turned  on  her 
way  out,  she  said,  half  audibly  : 

"  You  all  gwine  ruin  my  chile'  looks,  meckin'  her  set 
np  so  late.  How  she  gwine  have  any  complexion,  settin' 
up  all  times  o'  night  ?  "  As  she  passed  out,  however,  many 
of  the  ladies  spoke  to  her,  and  they  must  have  said  pleas- 
ant things  ;  for  before  she  reached  the  door  she  was 
smiling  and  curtseying  right  and  left,  and  carried  her 
head  as  high  as  a  princess.  As  for  Blair,  her  eyes  were 
dancing  with  joy  at  her  victory,  and  when  the  plump 


24  BED   ROCK 

figure  of  the  mammy  disappeared  she  gave  a  little  frisk  of 
delight. 

There  were  no  more  speeches  that  could  wound  the  sen- 
sibilities of  the  guests ;  but  there  was  plenty  of  discus- 
sion. All  the  young  men  were  ardent  politicians,  and 
Middleton,  who  was  nothing  himself,  was  partly  amused 
and  partly  horrified  at  the  violence  of  some  of  their  senti- 
ments. Personally,  he  agreed  with  them  in  the  main 
about  Slavery  or,  at  least,  about  Abolitionism.  He 
thought  Slavery  rather  a  fine  thing,  and  recalled  that  his 
grandfather  or  his  great-grandfather,  he  couldn't  be  cer- 
tain which,  had  owned  a  number  of  slaves.  He  was  con- 
scious of  some  pride  in  this — though  his  cousin,  Patience 
Welch,  who  was  an  extreme  abolitionist,  was  always  be- 
moaning the  fact. 

But  he  was  thunderstruck  to  hear  a  young  orator  of  six- 
teen or  seventeen  declaim  about  breaking  up  the  Union, 
under  certain  circumstances,  as  if  it  were  a  worthless  old 
hulk,  stuck  in  the  mud.  It  had  never  occurred  to  Mid- 
dleton  that  it  was  possible,  and  he  had  always  understood 
that  it  was  not.  However,  he  was  reassured  by  the  warmth 
with  which  others  defended  the  Union,  and  the  ardor  with 
which  toasts  were  drunk  to  it.  Jacquelin  himself  was  a 
stanch  Democrat,  like  his  father.  He  confided  to  Mid- 
dleton  that  Blair  was  a  Whig,  because  her  father  was  one  ; 
but  that  a  girl  did  not  know  any  better,  and  that  she 
really  did  not  know  the  difference  between  them. 

The  entertainment  consisted  of  dancing — quadrilles  and 
"the  Lancers,"  and  after  awhile,  the  old  Virginia  reel. 
In  the  first,  all  the  young  people  joined,  and  in  the  last, 
some  of  the  old  ones  as  well.  Middleton  heard  Steve 
urging  their  host's  sister,  Miss  Gray — "  Cousin  Thomasia" 
as  Steve  called  her — a  sweet  patrician-faced  lady,  to  come 
and  dance  with  him,  and  when  she  smilingly  refused,  teas- 
ing her  about  Major  Legaie.  She  gave  him  a  little  tap 
with  her  fan  and  sent  him  off  with  smiling  eyes,  which, 
after  following  the  handsome  boy  across  the  hall,  sad- 


TWO   STRANGERS  VISIT  RED  ROCK  25 

dened  a  second  later  as  she  lifted  the  fan  close  to  her  face 
to  arrange  the  feathers.  Steve  mischievously  whisked 
Blair  off  from  under  Jacquelin's  nose  and  took  her  to  the 
far  end  of  the  line  of  laughing  girls  ranged  across  the 
hall,  responding  to  Jacquelin's  earnest  protest  that  he  was 
just  going  to  dance  with  her  himself,  with  a  push — that 
unanswerable  logic  of  a  bigger  boy. 

"  But  you  did  not  ask  me  ! "  said  Miss  Blair  to  Jacque- 
lin,  readily  taking  the  stronger  side  against  her  sworn 
friend. 

"Never  mind,  Fin  not  going  to  dance  with  you  any 
more,"  pouted  Jacquelin  as  he  turned  off,  his  head  higher 
than  usual,  to  which  Miss  Blair  promptly  replied  :  "  I 
don't  care  if  yon  don't."  And  she  held  her  head  higher 
than  his,  dancing  through  her  reel  apparently  with  double 
enjoyment  because  of  his  discomfiture.  Then  when  the 
reel  had  been  danced  again  and  again,  with  double  couples 
and  fours,  to  ever-quickening  music  and  ever-increasing 
mirth,  until  it  was  a  maze  of  muslin  and  radiance  and 
laughter,  there  was  a  pause  for  rest.  And  someone  near 
the  piano  struck  up  a  song,  and  this  drew  the  crowd. 
Many  of  the  girls,  and  some  of  the  young  men,  had  pleas- 
ant voices,  which  made  up  by  their  natural  sweetness  and 
simplicity  for  want  of  training,  and  the  choruses  drew 
all  the  young  people,  except  a  few  who  seemed  to  find 
it  necessary  to  seek  something — fans  or  glasses  of  water, 
in  the  most  secluded  and  unlikely  corners,  and  always  in 
couples. 

There  was  one  song — a  new  one  which  had  just  been 
picked  up  somewhere  by  someone  and  brought  there,  and 
they  were  all  trying  to  recall  it — about  "  Dixie-land."  It 
seemed  that  Blair  sang  it,  and  there  was  a  universal  re- 
quest for  her  to  sing  it ;  but  the  little  girl  was  shy  and 
wanted  to  run  away.  Finally,  however,  she  was  brought 
back  and,  under  coaxing  from  Steve  and  Jacquelin,  was 
persuaded  ;  and  she  stood  up  by  the  piano  and  with  her 
cheeks  glowing  and  her  child's-voice  quavering  at  first  at 


26  BED  KOCK 

the  prominence  given  her,  sang  it  through.  Middleton 
had  heard  the  song  once  at  a  minstrel-show  not  long  be- 
fore, and  had  thought  it  rather  a  "  catchy  "  thing ;  but 
now,  when  the  child  sang  it,  he  found  its  melody.  But 
when  the  chorus  came,  he  was  astonished  at  the  feeling  it 
evoked.  It  ran  : 

"  Away  down  south  in  Dixie,  away,  away — 
In  Dixie  land,  I'll  take  my  stand, 
To  live  and  die  for  Dixie  land — 
Away,  away,  away  down  south  in  Dixie." 

It  was  a  burst  of  genuine  feeling,  universal,  enthusiastic, 
that  made  the  old  walls  resound.  Even  the  young  couples 
came  from  their  secluded  coverts  to  join  in.  It  was  so 
tremendous  that  Dr.  Gary,  who  was  standing  near  Mr. 
Welch,  said  to  him,  gravely  : 

"  A  gleam  of  the  current  that  is  dammed  up  ?  " 

"  If  the  bank  ever  breaks  what  will  happen  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Welch. 

"A  flood." 

"  Then  the  right  will  survive." 

"  The  strongest,"  said  Dr.  Gary. 

The  guest  saw  that  there  was  deep  feeling  whenever  any 
political  subject  was  touched  on,  and  he  turned  to  a  less 
dangerous  theme.  The  walls  of  the  hall  and  drawing-room 
were  covered  with  pictures ;  scenes  from  the  Mythology ; 
battle-pieces  ;  old  portraits  :  all  hung  together  in  a  sort  of 
friendly  confusion.  The  portraits  were  nearly  all  in  rich- 
colored  dresses:  men  in  velvets  or  uniforms,  ladies  in  satins 
and  crinolines,  representing  the  fashions  and  faces  of 
many  generations  of  Jacquelin-Grays.  But  one,  the 
most  striking  figure  of  them  all,  stood  alone  to  itself  in  a 
space  just  over  the  great  fireplace.  He  was  a  man  still 
young,  clad  in  a  hunter's  garb.  A  dark  rock  loomed  be  - 
hind  him.  His  rifle  lay  at  his  feet,  apparently  broken, 
and  his  face  wore  an  expression  of  such  determination  that 
one  knew  at  once  that,  whatever  he  had  been,  he  had  been 


TWO   STRANGERS   VISIT   RED   ROCK  27 

a  master.  The  other  paintings  were  portraits ;  this  was 
the  man.  To  add  to  its  distinction,  while  the  other  pict- 
ures were  in  frames  richly  gilded  and  carved,  this  was  in 
straight  black  boards  apparently  built  into  the  wall,  as  if 
it  had  been  meant  to  stand  him  there  and  cut  him  off  from 
all  the  rest  of  the  world.  Wherever  one  turned  in  the 
hall  those  piercing  eyes  followed  him.  Mr.  Welch  had 
been  for  some  time  observing  the  picture. 

"An  extraordinary  picture.  It  has  a  singular  fascina- 
tion for  me,"  he  said,  as  his  host  turned  to  him.  "  One 
might  almost  fancy  it  allegorical,  and  yet,  it  is  intensely 
human.  An  indubitable  portrait  ?  I  never  saw  a  stronger 
face." 

His  host  smiled. 

"Yes.  It  has  a  somewhat  curious  history,  though 
whether  it  is  exactly  a  portrait  or  not  we  do  not  know.  It 
is,  or  is  supposed  to  be,  the  portrait  of  an  ancestor  of  mine, 
the  first  of  my  name  who  came  to  this  country.  He  had 
been  unfortunate  on  the  other  side — so  the  story  goes — was 
a  scholar,  and  had  been  a  soldier  under  Cromwell  and  lost 
all  his  property.  He  fell  in  love  with  a  young  lady  whose 
father  was  on  the  King's  side,  and  married  her  against 
her  parents'  wishes  and  came  over  here.  He  built  a  house 
on  this  very  spot  when  it  was  the  frontier,  and  his  wife 
was  afterward  murdered  by  the  Indians,  leaving  him  one 
child.  It  is  said  that  he  killed  the  Indian  with  his  naked 
hands  just  beside  a  great  rock  that  stands  in  the  grave- 
yard beyond  the  garden,  a  short  distance  from  the  house. 
He  afterward  had  that  picture  painted  and  placed  there. 
It  is  reported  to  be  a  Lely.  It  has  always  been  recognized 
as  a  fine  picture,  and  in  all  the  successive  changes  it  has 
been  left  there.  This  present  house  was  built  around  the 
fireplace  of  the  old  one.  In  this  way  a  story  has  grown  up 
about  the  picture,  that  it  is  connected  with  the  fortunes 
of  the  house.  You  know  how  superstitious  the  negroes 
are?" 

"I  am  not  surprised,"  said  Mr.  Welch,  examining  the 


28  BED   ROCK 

picture  more  closely.  "  I  never  saw  a  lonelier  man.  That 
black  frame  shutting  it  in  seems  to  have  something  to  do 
with  the  effect." 

"  The  tradition  has  possibly  had  a  good  effect.  There 
used  to  be  a  recess  behind  it  that  was  used  as  a  cupboard, 
perhaps  a  secret  cabinet,  because  of  this  very  superstition. 
The  picture  fell  down  once  a  few  years  ago  and  I  found  a 
number  of  old  papers  in  there,  and  put  some  more  in  my- 
self. 

"  Here,  you  can  see  the  paint  on  the  frame,  where  it 
fell.  It  was  in  the  early  summer,  and  one  of  the  servants 
was  just  painting  the  hearth  red,  and  a  sudden  gust  of 
wind  slammed  a  door  and  jarred  the  picture  down,  and  it 
fell,  getting  that  paint  on  it.  You  never  saw  anyone  so 
frightened  as  that  boy  was.  And  I  think  my  overseer  was 
also,"  he  laughed.  "  He  happened  to  be  present,  settling 
up  some  matters  with  which  I  had  entrusted  him  in  the 
South,  and  although  he  is  a  remarkably  sensible  man — so 
sensible  that  I  had  given  him  my  bonds  for  a  very  consid- 
erable amount — one  for  a  very  large  amount,  indeed,  in 
case  he  should  need  them  in  the  matter  I  refer  to,  and  he 
had  managed  the  affair  with  the  greatest  shrewdness,  bring- 
ing my  bond*  back — he  was  as  much  frightened  almost  as 
the  boy.  You'd  have  thought  that  the  fall  of  the  pict- 
ure portended  my  immediate  death.  I  took  advantage 
of  the  circumstance  to  put  the  papers  in  the  cupboard, 
and,  to  ease  his  mind,  made  Still  nail  the  picture  up, 
so  that  it  will  never  come  down  again,  at  least,  in  my  life- 
time." 

"  I  had  no  idea  the  whites  were  so  superstitious,"  said 
Major  Welch. 

"  Well,  I  do  not  suppose  he  really  believed  it.  But,  do 
you  know,  after  that  they  began  to  say  that  stain  on  it  was 
blood  ?  And  here  again." 

He  pointed  to  where  three  or  four  little  foot-tracks,  as 
of  a  child's  bare  foot,  were  dimly  seen  on  the  hard  white 
floor  near  the  hearth. 


TWO   STRANGERS  VISIT  RED  ROCK  29 

"My  little  boy,  Rupert,  was  playing  in  the  hall  at  the 
time  I  mention,  dabbling  his  feet  in  the  paint,  and  the 
same  wind  that  blew  down  the  picture  scattered  my 
papers,  and  he  ran  across  the  floor  and  finally  stepped 
on  one.  There,  you  can  see  just  where  he  caught  it : 
the  little  heel  is  there,  and  the  print  of  the  toes  is  on 
the  bond  behind  the  picture.  His  mother  would  never 
allow  the  prints  to  be  scoured  out,  and  so  they  have  re- 
mained. And  now,  I  understand,  they  say  the  tracks  are 
blood." 

"  On  such  slim  evidence,  perhaps  other  and  weightier 
superstitions  have  been  built,"  said  Mr.  Welch,  smiling. 

Next  morning,  as  Mr.  Welch  wished  to  see  a  Southern 
plantation,  he  deferred  his  departure  until  the  afternoon, 
and  rode  over  the  place  with  Mr.  Gray.  Middleton  was 
taken  by  his  young  hosts  to  see  all  the  things  of  interest 
about  the  plantation:  the  high  barn  from  which  Blair 
had  jumped  into  the  tree,  the  bloody  rock  beside  which 
the  "  Indian-Killer  "  had  been  buried,  and  the  very  spot 
where  Steve  had  slept  that  night;  together  with  many 
other  points,  whilst  Mr.  Welch  was  taken  to  see  the  ser- 
vants' quarters,  the  hands  working  and  singing  in  the 
fields,  and  such  things  as  interested  him.  The  plan- 
tation surpassed  any  he  had  yet  seen.  It  was  a  little  world 
in  itself — a  sort  of  feudal  domain  :  the  great  house  on  its 
lofty  hill,  surrounded  by  gardens ;  the  broad  fields  stretch- 
ing away  in  every  direction,  with  waving  grain  or  green 
pastures -dotted  with  sheep  and  cattle,  and  all  shut  in  and 
bounded  by  the  distant  woods. 

During  this  tour  Mr.  Langstaff,  the  rector,  made  to 
Mr.  Welch  an  observation  that  he  thought  there  were  evi- 
dences that  the  Garden  of  Eden  was  situated  not  far  from 
that  spot,  and  certainly  within  the  limits  of  the  State. 
Major  Welch  smiled  at  the  old  clergyman's  ingenuous- 
ness, but  was  graver  when,  as  they  strolled  through  the 
negro  quarters,  he  began  to  speak  earnestly  of  the  bless- 
ings of  Slavery.  He  pointed  out  the  clean  cabins,  each 


30  RED   KOCK 

enr rounded  by  its  little  yard  and  with  its  garden  ;  tne 
laughing  children  and  smiling  mothers  curtseying  from 
their  doors.  The  guest  remained  silent,  and  the  old  gen- 
tieman  took  it  for  assent. 

"  Why,  sir,  I  have  just  prepared  a  paper  which  my 
friends  think  establishes  incontrovertibly  that  Slavery  is 
based  on  the  Scriptures,  and  is,  as  it  were,  a  divine  insti- 
tution." Mr.  Welch  looked  up  to  see  how  the  other  gen- 
tlemen took  this.  They  were  all  grave,  except  Dr.  Gary, 
usually  the  gravest,  around  whose  mouth  a  slight  smile 
nickered,  and  in  whose  eyes,  as  they  met  Major  Welch's, 
there  was  a  little  gleam  of  amusement. 

"  It  is  written,  '  A  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be/  You 
will  not  deny  that  ?"  asked  the  old  preacher,  a  little  of 
the  smouldering  fire  of  the  controversialist  sparkling  for 
a  moment  in  his  face. 

"Well,  no,  I  don't  think  I  will." 

"Then  that  settles  it." 

"Well,  perhaps  not  altogether,"  said  Mr.  Welch. 
"  There  may  be  an  economical  sin.  But  I  do  not  wish  to 
engage  in  a  polemical  controversy.  I  will  only  say  that  down 
here  you  do  not  seem  to  me  to  appreciate  fully  how  strong 
the  feeling  of  the  world  at  present  is  against  Slavery.  It 
seems  to  me,  that  Slavery  is  doomed  as  much  as  the  Stage- 
coach, and  the  Sailing  vessel." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  declared  Mr.  Gray,  "  I  cannot  agree 
with  you.  We  interfere  with  nobody ;  all  we  demand  is 
that  they  shall  not  interfere  with  us." 

"It  is  precisely  that  which  you  cannot  enforce,"  said 
Mr.  Welch.  "  I  do  not  wish  to  engage  in  a  discussion  in 
which  neither  of  us  could  convince  the  other  ;  but  I  think 
I  have  not  defined  my  position  intelligibly.  You  interfere 
with  everyone — with  every  nation — and  you  are  only  ten- 
ants at  will  of  your  system — only  tenants  by  sufferance  of 
the  world." 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  sir  ! "  exclaimed  his  host,  his  face 
slightly  flushed ;  and  then  the  subject  was  politely  changed, 


TWO   STRANGERS  VISIT  RED   ROCK  31 

and  Mr.  Welch  was  conscious  that  it  was  not  to  be  opened 
again. 

The  only  additional  observation  made  was  by  a  gentle- 
man who  had  been  introduced  to  Mr.  Welch  as  the  leading 
lawyer  of  the  county,  a  portly  man  with  a  round  face  and 
keen  eyes.  "  Well,  as  George  IV.  remarked,  it  will  last  my 
time,"  he  said. 

Before  the  young  people  had  seen  half  the  interesting 
places  of  which  Jacquelin  had  told  Middleton,  they  were 
recalled  to  the  house.  Jacquelin's  face  fell. 

"  School !  "  he  said  in  disgust. 

As  they  returned  on  a  road  leading  up  to  a  farmhouse 
on  a  hill,  they  passed  a  somewhat  rickety  buggy  containing 
a  plain-looking  young  girl,  a  little  older  than  Blair,  driven 
by  a  thin-shouldered  youngster  of  eighteen  or  nineteen,  who 
returned  Jacquelin's  and  Blair's  greeting,  with  a  surly  air. 
Middleton  thought  he  checked  the  girl  for  her  pleasant 
bow.  At  any  rate,  he  heard  his  voice  in  a  cross  tone,  scold- 
ing her  after  they  had  passed. 

"  That's  Washy  Still  and  Virgy,  the  overseer's  children/' 
explained  someone. 

"  And  he's  just  as  mean  to  her  as  he  can  be.  She's 
afraid  of  him.  I'll  be  bound  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  of  him  ! " 
broke  out  Blair,  her  eyes  growing  suddenly  sparkling  at 
the  idea  of  wrong  to  one  of  her  sex.  Middleton  looked 
down  at  her  glowing  face  and  thought  it  unlikely. 

On  arrival  at  the  house  it  proved  that  Jacquelin's  fears 
were  well-founded.  It  had  been  decided  that  he  must  go 
back  to  school.  Jacquelin  appealed  to  his  Aunt  Tho- 
masia  to  intercede  for  him,  and  she  did  so,  as  she  always 
interceded  for  everyone,  but  it  was  in  vain.  It  was  an  age 
of  law,  and  the  law  had  to  be  obeyed. 

As  Middleton  was  passing  from  the  room  he  occupied,  to 
the  hall,  he  came  on  Blair.  She  was  seated  in  a  window, 
almost  behind  the  curtain  and  he  would  have  passed  by 
without  seeing  her  but  for  a  movement  she  made  to 
sere  -jii  herself  entirely.  Curiosity  and  mischief  prompted 


32  BED   BOOK 

the  young  man  to  go  up  and  peep  at  her.  She  had  a 
book  in  her  hand,  which  she  held  down  as  if  to  keep  out 
of  sight,  and  as  he  looked  at  her  he  thought  she  had  been 
crying.  A  glance  at  the  book  showed  it  was  "  Virgil/'  and 
Middleton  supposed,  from  some  personal  experience,  that 
the  tears  were  connected  with  the  book.  So  he  offered  to 
construe  her  lesson  for  her.  She  let  him  do  it,  and  he  was 
just  congratulating  himself  that  he  was  doing  it  toler- 
ably well  when  she  corrected  him.  At  the  same  moment 
Jacquelin  came  in.  He  too  looked  unusually  downcast, 
and  Blair  turned  away  her  face,  and  then  suddenly  sprang 
up  and  ran  away. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Middleton.  "  Can't  she 
read  her  lesson  ?  " 

"  No  :  she  can  read  that  well  enough.  You  just  ought 
to  hear  her  read  Latin.  I  wish  I  could  do  it  as  well  as 
she  does,  that's  all !  I'd  make  old  Eliphalet  open  his 
eyes.  She's  crying  because  I've  got  to  go  back  to  school 
— I  wish  I  were  grown  up,  I  bet  I  wouldn't  go  to  school 
any  more  !  I  hate  school,  and  I  hate  old  Eliphalet,  and 
I  hate  old  Maule — no,  I  don't  quite  hate  him  ;  but  I  hate 
school  and  I'm  going  to  paint  his  horse  blue,  if  he  licks 
the  life  out-  of  me/'  After  which  explosion  the  young- 
ster appeared  relieved,  and  went  off  to  prepare  for  the 
inevitable. 

When  he  rode  away  with  Doan  behind  him,  his  last  call 
back  was  to  Middleton,  to  be  sure  and  remember  his 
promise  to  come  back  again,  and  to  bring  Reely  Thurston 
with  him. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   VISITORS   START   SOUTH   AGAIN  ;   AND  THEIR  FORMER 
HOSTS  GO   TO   MEET  THEM 

BOTH  Larry  Middleton  and  Mr.  Welch  were  to  visit 
Red  Rock  again ;  but  under  circumstances  little  antici- 
pated by  anyone  at  the  time  the  invitation  to  return  was 
given. 

When  Middleton  came  of  age  he  turned  over  the  manu- 
facturing business  he  had  inherited,  to  the  family's  agent, 
Mr.  Bolter,  and,  on  leaving  college,  accepted  the  invita- 
tion of  his  cousin,  Mr.  Welch,  to  go  in  his  law-office. 
He  made  only  one  condition  :  that  the  same  invitation 
should  be  extended  to  his  college  chum,  Reely  Thurston, 
whom  Middleton  described  to  Mr.  Welch  as  "at  once  the 
roundest  and  squarest  fellow "  in  his  class.  This  was 
enough  for  Mr.  Welch,  and  within  a  few  months  the  two 
young  men  were  at  adjoining  desks,  professing  to  practise 
law  and  really  practising  whatever  other  young  gentlemen 
of  their  age  and  kind  are  given  to  doing  :  a  combination 
of  loafing,  working,  and  airing  themselves  for  the  benefit 
of  the  rest  of  mankind,  particularly  of  that  portion  that 
wears  bonnets  and  petticoats. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welch  were  glad  to  have  Middleton 
with  them  ;  for  Mrs.  Welch  was  fond  of  him  as  a  near  re- 
lation, and  one  who  in  personal  appearance  and  address 
was  a  worthy  representative  of  the  old  stock  from  which 
they  had  both  come.  And  she  had  this  further  reason 
for  wishing  to  have  Middleton  near  her  :  that  she  had  long 
observed  his  tendency  to  be  affected  unduly,  as  she  termed 
8  33 


84  BED  EOCK 

it,  by  his  surroundings,  and  she  meant  to  counteract  this 
defect  of  character  by  her  personal  influence. 

It  was  enough  for  Mrs.  Welch  to  see  a  defect  of  any 
kind  to  wish  to  correct  it,  and  her  wish  was  usually  but 
a  step  in  advance  of  her  action.  One  might  see  this  in  the 
broad  brow  above  which  the  hair  was  brushed  so  very 
smoothly ;  in  the  deep  gray  eyes  ;  in  the  firm  mouth  with 
its  fine,  even  teeth  ;  in  the  strong  chin,  almost  too  strong 
for  a  woman ;  and  especially,  in  the  set  of  her  head,  and 
the  absolute  straightness  of  her  back.  She  was  at  heart 
a  missionary  :  one  of  those  intrepid  and  unbending  spirits 
who  have  carried  their  principles  through  the  world  by 
the  sheer  energy  of  their  belief.  She  would  no  more 
have  bowed  in  the  house  of  Rimmon  than  she  would  have 
committed  theft.  If  she  had  lived  in  Kome,  she  would 
have  died  before  taking  a  pinch  of  incense  for  Diana,  un- 
less, indeed,  she  had  been  on  the  other  side,  when  she 
would  have  fed  the  lions  with  fervor.  If  she  had  been  in 
Spain  on  Torquemada's  side,  she  could  have  sung  Te 
Deums  at  an  auto-da-fe.  As  someone  said  of  her,  she 
would  have  burned  like  a  candle.  The  only  difficulty 
was  that  she  wanted  others  to  burn  too — which  they  were 
not  always  so  ready  to  do.  As  a  girl,  she  had  been  on 
the  eve  of  going  out  as  missionary  to  the  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands, when  she  heard  the  splendid  oratory  of  one  of  the 
new  apostles  of  abolitionism,  one  evening  in  company  with 
Mr.  Welch,  then  a  young  engineer,  when  her  philan- 
thropical  direction  changed  from  West  to  South,  and  she 
devoted  herself  thenceforth  to  the  cause  of  the  negroes — 
and  of  the  young  engineer. 

She  had  great  hopes  of  Lawrence  Middleton  and  de- 
plored the  influence  on  him  of  the  young  man  whom  he 
had  chosen  at  college  as  his  especial  friend ;  and  she  grieved 
over  the  effect  that  his  visit  South,  already  described,  had 
on  him.  He  had  come  home  much  impressed  by  the 
charm  of  the  life  there.  Indeed,  he  had  become  actually 
an  apologist  for  Slavery.  But  Mrs.  Welch  did  not  despair. 


THE  VISITORS   START   SOUTH   AGAIN  35 

She  never  despaired.  It  implied  weakness,  and  so,  sin. 
She  was  urgent  to  have  Larry  Middleton  accept  her  hus- 
band's proposal  to  take  a  place  in  his  office,  and  though 
she  would  have  preferred  to  separate  him  from  young 
Thurston,  as  to  whom  she  had  misgivings,  yet  when  he 
made  this  condition  she  yielded  ;  for  it  brought  Middleton 
where  she  could  influence  him,  and  had,  at  least,  this  ad- 
vantage :  that  it  gave  her  two  persons  to  work  on  instead 
of  one. 

When  her  daughter,  Ruth  Welch,  a  young  Miss  with 
sparkling  eyes,  came  home  in  her  vacations,  it  was  natural 
that  she  should  be  thrown  a  great  deal  with  her  cousin, 
and  the  only  singular  thing  was  that  Mrs.  Welch  appeared 
inclined  to  minimize  the  importance  of  the  relationship. 
This,  however,  made  little  difference  to  the  gay,  fun-lov- 
ing girl,  who,  enjoying  her  emancipation  from  school, 
tyrannized  over  the  two  young  sprigs  of  the  Law  to  her 
heart's  content.  She  soon  reduced  Thurston  to  a  condi- 
tion of  abject  slavery  which  might  well  have  called  forth 
the  intervention  of  so  ardent  an  emancipator  as  her 
mother,  and  did,  indeed,  excite  some  solicitude  in  her 
maternal  bosom.  Mrs.  Welch  was  beginning  to  be  very 
anxious  about  him  when  events,  suddenly  crowding  on 
each  other,  gave  her  something  widely  different  to  think 
of,  and  unexpectedly  relieved  her  from  this  cause  of  care 
to  give  her  others  far  weightier. 

Both  the  young  men  had  become  politicians.  Middle- 
ton  was  a  Whig,  though  he  admitted  he  did  not  see  how 
Slavery  could  be  interfered  with;  while  Thurston  an- 
nounced tenets  of  the  opposite  party,  particularly  when 
Mrs.  Welch  was  present. 

The  cloud  which  had  been  gathering  so  long  above  the 
Country  suddenly  burst. 

Middleton  and  Thurston  were  sitting  in  their  office  one 
afternoon  when  there  was  a  scamper  outside  ;  the  door  was 
flung  open,  and  a  paper  thrown  in— an  extra  still  wet  from 
the  press.  Thurston  seized  it,  his  seat  being  nearest  the 


36  BED   ROCK 

door,  and  gave  a  long  whistle  as  his  eye  fell  on  the  black 
headlines : 

The  Flag  Fired  on:  Open  Rebellion.  The 
Union  Must  Be  Saved  At  Any  Cost,  Etc.,  etc, 

He  sank  into  his  seat  and  read  rapidly  the  whole  ac- 
count, ending  with  the  call  for  troops  to  put  down  the  Re- 
bellion ;  while  Middleton  listened  with  a  set  face.  When 
Thurston  was  through,  he  flung  the  paper  down  and  sat 
back  in  his  chair,  thinking  intently.  The  next  moment 
he  hammered  his  fist  on  his  desk  and  sprang  to  his  feet, 
his  face  white  with  resolve. 

"By  God!    Ill  go." 

With  a  single  inquiring  look  at  Middleton,  he  turned 
to  the  door  and  walked  out.  A  moment  later  Middleton 
locked  his  desk  and  followed  him.  The  street  was  al- 
ready filling  with  people,  crowding  to  hear  the  details,  and 
the  buzz  of  voices  was  growing  louder. 

Within  a  few  hours  the  two  young  men  were  both  en- 
rolled in  a  company  of  volunteers  which  was  being  gotten 
up — Middleton,  in  right  of  his  stature  and  family  connec- 
tions, as  a  Sergeant,  and  little  Thurston  as  a  Corporal,  and 
were  at  work  getting  others  enrolled. 

As  they  were  so  engaged,  Thurston's  attention  was  ar- 
rested by  a  man  in  the  crowd  who  was  especially  violent 
in  his  denunciations,  and  was  urging  everybody  to  enlist. 
His  voice  had  a  peculiar,  penetrating  whine.  As  Thurston 
could  not  remember  the  man  among  those  who  had  signed 
the  roll,  he  asked  him  his  name. 

"Leech,  Jonadab  Leech,"  he  said. 

When  Thurston  looked  at  the  roster,  the  name  was  not 
on  it,  and  the  next  time  Leech  came  up  in  the  crowd,  the 
little  Corporal  called  him  : 

" Here  ;  you  have  forgotten  to  put  your  name  down." 

To  his  surprise,  Leech  drew  back  and  actually  turned 
pale. 


THE  VISITORS  START  SOUTH  AGAIN  37 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Thurston. 

"  I  have  a  wife." 

The  little  volunteer  gave  a  sniff. 

"  All  right — send  her  in  your  place.  I  guess  she'd  do 
as  well." 

"  If  he  has,  he's  trying  to  get  rid  of  her/'  said  someone 
standing  by,  in  an  undertone. 

"  Why — ah  ! — my  eyes  are  bad  ;  I'm  too  near-sighted." 

(t  Your  eyes  be  hanged  !  You  can  see  well  enough  to 
read  this  paper." 

"  I — ah  IT-!  cannot  see  in  the  dark  at  all,"  stammered 
Leech  as  a  number  of  the  new  volunteers  crowded  around 
them. 

"  Neither  can  I — neither  can  anybody  but  a  cat,"  de- 
clared the  little  Corporal,  and  the  crowd  around  cheered 
him.  Leech  vanished. 

"  Who  is  he  ? "  asked  Thurston,  as  Leech  disap- 
peared. 

"He  is  a  clerk  in  old  Bolter's  commissary." 

The  crowd  was  patriotic. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  the  town  all  night :  bells 
rang ;  crowds  marched  up  and  down  the  streets  singing ; 
stopping  at  the  houses  of  those  who  had  been  opposed  to 
ultra  measures,  and  calling  on  them  to  put  up  flags  to  show 
their  loyalty.  The  name  of  Jonadab  Leech  appeared  in  the 
papers  next  morning  as  one  of  the  street-orators  who  made 
the  most  blood-thirsty  speech. 

Next  day  was  Sunday.  Sober  second  thought  had  suc- 
ceeded the  excitement  of  the  previous  day,  the  faces  of  the 
people  showed  it.  The  churches  were  overflowing.  The 
preachers  all  alluded  to  the  crisis  that  had  come,  and 
the  tears  of  the  congregations  testified  how  deeply  they 
were  moved.  After  church,  by  a  common  impulse,  every- 
one went  to  the  public  square  to  learn  the  news.  The 
square  was  packed.  Suddenly  on  the  pole  that  stood  above 
the  old  court-house,  someone  ran  up  the  flag.  At  the 
instant  that  it  broke  forth  the  breeze  caught  it,  and 


38  BED  EOCK 

it  fluttered  out  full  and  straight,  pointing  to  the  south- 
ward. The  effect  was  electric.  A  great  cheer  burst  from 
the  crowd  below.  As  it  died  down,  a  young  man's 
clear  voice  struck  up  "  My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee/'  and 
the  next  moment  the  whole  crowd  was  singing  and  weep- 
ing. 

That  flag  and  that  song  made  more  soldiers  from  the  old 
town  than  all  the  newspapers  and  all  the  speeches,  and 
Larry  Middleton,  for  having  struck  up  the  song,  found  him- 
self suddenly  of  more  note  in  his  own  home  than  he  could 
have  been  later  if  he  had  stormed  a  battery. 

Loudest  among  the  shouters  was  the  street-orator  of  the 
evening  before,  Jonadab  Leech,  the  clerk  in  Bolter's  com- 
missary. 

Within  a  week  the  two  young  men  were  on  their  way 
South. 

A  little  later,  Mr.  Welch,  having  taken  time  to  settle 
up  his  affairs,  and  also  those  of  his  cousin,  Larry  Middle- 
ton,  went  off  to  join  the  first  corps  of  engineers  from  his 
State,  with  abundance  of  tears  from  Ruth  and  a  blessing 
from  his  wife,  whose  mouth  was  never  firmer,  or  her  eye 
clearer,  than  when  she  kissed  him,  and  bade  him  God- 


She  replied  to  the  astonished  query  of  Mrs.  Bolter, 
"  You  did  not  cry  ?  "  with  another  question  : 

tt  Why  should  I  cry,  when  I  knew  it  was  his  duty  ?  If 
I  had  wept  it  would  have  been  because  I  could  not  go  my- 
self to  strike  a  blow  for  the  freedom  of  the  poor  Afri- 
can I" 

"You  are  an  unusually  strong  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Bol- 
ter, with  a  shake  of  her  head,  and,  indeed,  Mrs.  Welch 
looked  it ;  for  though  Bolter  had  gone  to  Washington,  he 
had  not  gone  to  war,  but  to  see  about  contracts. 

Just  at  the  time  that  the  two  young  students  from 
Mr.  Welch's  office  were  in  the  street  of  their  town  en- 
rolling their  names  as  soldiers  to  fight  for  the  flag  of 


THE  VISITORS   STAKT  SOUTH  AGAIN  39 

the  Union,  the  young  men,  and  the  elders  as  well,  whom 
Middleton  had  met  at  Red  Rock  a  thousand  miles  to  the 
southward,  were  engaged  in  similar  work — enlisting  to 
fight  against  Invasion,  to  fight  for  their  State. 

There  had  been  much  discussion — much  dissension  in 
the  old  county,  and  all  others  like  it,  during  the  interim 
since  the  night  when  Middleton  and  Mr.  Welch  had  ap- 
peared unexpectedly  at  Red  Rock  among  the  wedding 
guests.  Some  were  for  radical  measures,  for  Secession,  for 
War  ;  others  were  conservative.  Many  were  for  the  Union. 
Matters  more  than  once  had  reached  a  white  heat  in  that 
section,  and  it  had  looked  for  a  long  time  as  though  an 
explosion  must  come.  Yet  the  cooler  heads  had  controlled, 
and  when  the  final  elections  for  the  body  that  was  to  settle 
the  momentous  questions  at  issue  at  last  came  on,  the  most 
conservative  men  in  the  country  had  been  selected.  In  our 
county,  Dr.  Gary  and  Mr.  Bagby,  both  strong  Union  men, 
had  been  chosen  over  Major  Legaie  and  Mr.  Gray,  both 
ardent  Democrats ;  and  one,  the  former,  a  hot  Secession- 
ist. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  capital  to  attend  the  session 
of  the  Convention  they  found,  perhaps,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished body  that  had  sat  in  the  State  in  fifty  years. 
In  this  great  crisis  both  sides  had  put  forward  their  best 
men,  and  in  face  of  the  nearing  peril  the  wildest  grew 
conservative.  The  body  declared  for  Peace. 

Affairs  moved  rapidly,  however ;  excitement  grew  ;  feel- 
ing changed.  Yet  the  more  conservative  prevailed. 

One  morning  Dr.  Gary  received  a  report  of  a  great  pub- 
lic meeting  held  at  the  county  seat,  instructing  him  to 
vote  for  Secession.  Many  of  his  old  supporters  had  signed 
it.  He  presented  the  resolutions  at  the  desk,  and  stated 
their  purport  fully  and  strongly,  amid  cheers  from  the 
other  side. 

"  Now  you  will  vote  with  us  ?"  said  one  of  the  leaders 
on  that  side. 

•'  Not  if  every  man  in  my  county  instructed  me." 


40  BED   ROCK 

' '  Then  you  must  resign  ?  " 

"  Not  if  every  man  in  my  county  demanded  it." 

"  Are  you  the  only  wise  man  in  the  county  ?  " 

The  voice  trembled.     Feeling  was  rising. 

The  Doctor  was  looking  his  questioner  full  in  the 
eyes. 

"  If  they  signed  such  a  paper,  I  should  think  so." 
And  there  were  cheers  from  his  side,  and  the  vote  was 
stayed  for  that  day  at  least.  Dr.  Gary  made  an  appeal  for 
the  Union  that  men  remembered  all  their  lives.  However 
they  disagreed  with  him,  they  were  moved  by  Jiim.  But 
the  magazine  was  being  stored  fuller  every  moment. 

Then  the  spark  fell  and  the  explosion  came. 

A  week  after  this  the  call  for  troops  by  the  President 
to  put  down  Eebellion  appeared  in  an  extra  in  the  city 
where  the  Convention  sat. 

Invasion  ! 

The  whole  people  rose.  From  the  time  of  Varrus  down 
they  had  done  so.  The  defences  that  conservatives  like 
Dr.  Gary  had  laboriously  built  up  were  swept  away  in  an  in- 
stant. The  State  went  out  with  a  rush. 

At  the  announcement  the  population  poured  into  the 
streets  and  public  squares  in  a  great  demonstration.  It 
was  tremendous — a  maelstrom — a  tornado — a  conflagration. 
Men  were  caught  up  and  tossed  on  platforms,  that  ap- 
peared as  if  by  magic  from  nowhere,  to  makes  speeches ; 
bonfires  were  lighted  and  bells  were  rung  ;  but  the  crowd 
shouted  louder  than  the  ringing  of  the  bells,  for  it  meant 
War  :  none  could  now  withstand  it.  Suddenly  from  some 
public  place  a  gun,  which  had  been  found  and  run  out, 
boomed  through  the  dusk,  and  the  crowd  roared  louder 
than  before,  and  made  a  rush  in  that  direction,  cheering 
as  if  for  a  great  victory. 

Dr.  Gary,  stalking  through  the  throng,  silent  and  white, 
was  recognized  and  lifted  unresisting  to  a  platform. 
After  a  great  roar,  the  tumult  hushed  down  for  a  mo- 
ment j  for  he  was  waiting  with  close-shut  mouth  and  blaz- 


THE  VISITOKS   STAET   SOUTH  AGAIN  41 

ing  eye,  and  he  had  the  reputation  of  being,  when  he 
chose  to  exert  himself,  an  orator.  Besides,  it  was  not  yet 
known  what  he  would  do,  and  he  was  a  power  in  his  sec- 
tion. 

He  broke  the  silence  with  a  calm  voice  that  went  every- 
where. Without  appearing  to  be  strong,  his  voice  was  one 
of  those  strange  instruments  that  filled  every  building 
with  its  finest  tone  and  reached  over  every  crowd  to  its 
farthest  limit.  With  a  gesture  that,  as  men  said  after- 
ward, seemed  to  sweep  the  horizon,  he  began  : 

"The  time  has  passed  for  talking.  Go  home  and  pre- 
pare for  War.  For  it  is  on  us." 

"  Oh  !  there  is  not  going  to  be  any  war/'  cried  someone, 
and  a  part  of  the  crowd  cheered.  Dr.  Gary  turned  on  them. 

"  No  war  ?  We  are  at  war  now — with  the  greatest 
power  on  earth  :  the  power  of  universal  progress.  It  is 
not  the  North  that  we  shall  have  to  fight,  but  the  world. 
Go  home  and  make  ready.  If  we  have  talked  like  fools, 
we  shall  at  least  fight  like  men." 

That  night  Dr.  Gary  walked  into  his  lodgings  alone  and 
seated  himself  in  the  dusk.  His  old  body-servant,  Tar- 
quin,  silent  and  dark,  brought  a  light  and  set  it  conven- 
iently for  him.  He  did  not  speak  a  word  ;  but  his  minis- 
trations were  unusually  attentive  and  every  movement 
expressed  adherence  and  sympathy.  Suddenly  his  master 
broke  the  silence  : 

"  Tarquin,  do  you  want  to  be  free  ?  " 

"  Lawd  Gawd  ! "  exclaimed  Tarquin,  stopping  quite  still 
and  gazing  in  amazement.  "  Me  !  Free  ?" 

"  If  you  do  I  will  set  you  free,  and  give  you  money 
enough  to  live  in  Philadelphia." 

"  No,  suh ;  Marster,  you  know  I  don*  wan'  be  free,"  said 
Tarquin. 

"  Pack  my  trunk.     I  am  going  home." 

"When,  suh  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know  exactly  ;  but  shortly." 

Within  a  week  Dr.  Gary  was  back  at  home,  working, 


42  BED   ROCK 

along  with  Major  Legaie  and  the  other  secessionists, 
making  preparation  for  equipping  the  companies  that  the 
county  was  going  to  send  to  the  war. 

What  a  revolution  that  week  had  made  in  the  old 
county  !  In  the  face  of  the  menace  of  invasion,  after  but 
ten  days  one  would  scarcely  have  known  it.  All  division 
was  ended  :  all  parties  were  one.  It  was  as  if  the  county 
had  declared  war  by  itself  and  felt  the  whole  burden  of  the 
struggle  on  its  shoulders.  From  having  been  one  of  the 
most  quiet,  peaceful  and  conservative  corners  of  the  uni- 
verse, where  a  fox-hunt  or  an  evening-party  was  the 
chief  excitement  of  the  year,  and  where  the  advent  of  a 
stranger  was  enough  to  convulse  the  entire  community, 
it  became  suddenly  a  training  ground  and  a  camp,  filled 
with  bustle  and  preparation  and  the  sound  of  arms.  The 
haze  of  dust  from  men  galloping  by,  hung  over  the  high- 
ways all  day  long,  and  the  cross-roads  and  the  county  seat, 
where  the  musters  used  to  meet  quarterly  and  where  the 
Fourth  of  July  celebrations  were  held,  became  scenes  of 
almost  metropolitan  activity. 

Men  appeared  to  spring  from  the  ground  as  in  the  days 
of  Cadmus,  ready  for  war.  Eed  Eock  and  Birdwood  be- 
came recruiting-stations  and  depots  of  supply.  From  the 
big  estates  men  came  ;  from  the  small  homesteads  amid 
their  orchards,  and  from  the  cabins  back  among  the  pines 
— all  eager  for  war  and  with  a  new  light  in  their  eyes. 
Everyone  was  in  the  movement.  Major  Legaie  was  a 
colonel  and  Mr.  Gray  was  a  captain  ;  Dr.  Gary  was  sur- 
geon, and  even  old  Mr.  Langstaff,  under  that  fire  of  en- 
thusiasm, doffed  his  cassock  for  a  uniform,  merged  his  ec- 
clesiastical title  of  rector  in  the  military  one  of  chaplain, 
and  made  amends  for  the  pacific  nature  of  his  prescribed 
prayers  in  church,  by  praying  before  his  company  outside, 
prayers  as  diverse  from  the  benignity  of  his  nature,  as  the 
curses  of  Ezekiel  or  Jeremiah  from  the  benediction  of  St. 
John  the  Aged. 

Miss  Thomasia,  who  was  always  trying  to  meet  some 


THE  VISITORS   START  SOUTH  AGAIN  43 

wants  which,  only  the  sensitiveness  of  her  own  spirit  appre- 
hended, enlarged  her  little  academy  in  the  office  at  Eed 
Kock,  so  as  to  take  in  all  the  children  of  the  men  around 
who  had  enlisted  ;  made  them  between  their  lessons  pick 
lint,  and  opened  her  exercises  daily  with  the  most  martial 
hymns  she  could  find  in  the  prayer-book,  feeling  in  her  sim- 
ple heart  that  she  could  do  God  no  better  service  than  to 
inculcate  an  undying  patriotism  along  with  undying  piety. 
As  for  Blair,  she  had  long  deserted  the  anti-war  side,  horse, 
foot,  and  dragoons,  and  sewed  on  uniforms  and  picked  lint ; 
wore  badges  of  palmetto,  and  single  stars  on  little  blue 
flags  sewed  somewhat  crookedly  in  the  front  of  her  frocks, 
and  sang  ' '  Dixie/'  "  Maryland/'  and  "  The  Bonny  Blue 
Flag  "  all  the  time. 

Steve  Allen  and  Morris  Gary,  on  an  hour's  notice,  had 
left  the  University  where  all  the  students  were  flocking 
into  companies,  and  with  pistols  and  sabres  strapped  about 
their  slender  waists  galloped  up  to  the  county  seat  to- 
gether one  afternoon,  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  having  outsped 
their  telegrams,  and,  amid  huzzas  and  the  waving  of  hand- 
kerchiefs from  the  carriages  lining  the  roadside,  spurred 
their  sweating  horses  straight  to  the  end  of  the  line  that 
was  drilling  under  Colonel  Legaie  in  the  field  beside  the 
court-house.  And  so,  with  radiant  faces  and  bounding 
hearts  were  enlisted  for  the  war.  Little  Andy  Stamper, 
the  rescuer  of  the  two  visitors  at  the  ford,  was  already 
there  in  line  at  the  far  end  on  one  of  his  father's  two  farm- 
horses;  and  Jacquelin,  on  a  blooded  colt,  was  trying  to  keep 
as  near  in  line  with  him  as  his  excited  four-year-old  would 
permit.  Even  the  servants,  for  whom  some  on  the  other 
side  were  pledging  their  blood,  were  warmly  interested, 
and  were  acting  more  like  clansmen  than  slaves. 

Hiram  Still,  Mr.  Gray's  tall  manager,  had  a  sudden  re- 
turn of  his  old  enemy,  rheumatism,  and  was  so  drawn  up 
that  he  had  to  go  on  crutches  ;  but  was  as  enthusiastic  as 
anyone,  and  lent  money  to  help  equip  the  companies— lent 
it  not  to  the  county,  it  is  true,  but  to  Mr.  Gray  and  Dr. 


44  BED   KOCK 

Gary  on  their  joint  security.  He  and  Andy  Stamper  were 
not  on  good  terms,  yet  he  even  offered  to  lend  money  to 
Andy  Stamper  to  buy  a  horse  with.  Jacquelin,  however, 
spared  Andy  this  mortification. 

The  boy,  emancipated  from  school,  partly  because  his 
father  was  going  off  so  shortly  to  the  war,  and  partly  be- 
cause Dr.  Maule  himself  had  enlisted  and  Mr.  Eliphalet 
Bush,  his  successor,  was  not  considered  altogether  sound 
politically,  spent  his  time  breaking  his  colt  to  stand  the 
excitement  of  cavalry  drill.  Jacquelin  and  Andy  were 
sworn  friends,  and  hearing  that  Andy  had  applied  to  Hi- 
ram Still  to  borrow  money  to  buy  a  horse  with,  Jacquelin 
asked  his  father's  consent  to  give  him  his  colt,  and  was  re- 
warded by  the  pick  of  the  horses  on  the  place,  after  the 
carriage  horses,  his  father's  own  riding  horse  and  Steve's. 
It  was  a  proud  moment  for  the  boy  when  he  rode  the  high- 
mettled  bay  he  chose,  over  to  the  old  Stamper  place. 

Andy,  in  a  new  gray  jacket,  was  sitting  on  the  front 
steps,  polishing  his  scabbard  and  accoutrements,  old  Mrs. 
Stamper  was  in  her  low,  split-bottomed  chair  behind  him, 
knitting  a  yarn  sock  for  her  soldier,  and  Delia  Dove,  with 
her  plump  cheeks  glowing  under  her  calico  sun-bonnet, 
which  she  had  pushed  back  from  her  round  face,  was  seated 
on  the  bench  in  the  little  porch,  toying  with  the  wisteria- 
vine  above  her,  and  looking  down  on  Andy  with  her  black 
eyes  softer  than  usual. 

Andy  rose  to  greet  Jacquelin  as  the  boy  galloped  up  to 
the  gate. 

"  Come  in,  Jack.  What's  up  ?  Look  out  or  he'll 
git  you  off  him.  That's  the  way  to  set  him  !  Ah  ! "  as 
Jacquelin  swung  himself  down. 

"  Here's  a  present  for  you,"  said  Jacquelin. 

"What?" 

"  This  horse  ! " 

"  What ! " 

"  Yes  :  he's  mine  :  papa  gave  him  to  me  this  morning 
and  said  I  might  give  him  to  you.  I  took  the  pick- " 


THE  VISITORS   START  SOUTH  AGAIN  45 

"  Well,  by — "  Andy  was  too  much  dazed  to  swear. 

"Jack — "  This  also  ended.  "Now  let  that  Hiram 
Still  ask  for  security.  Delia,  I'll  lick  a  regiment."  He 
faced  his  sweetheart,  who  suddenly  turned  and  caught 
Jacquelin  and  kissed  him  violently,  bringing  the  red  blood 
to  the  boy's  fresh  face. 

"  If  you'll  do  that  to  me  Fll  give  him  to  you  right  now. 

D d  'f  I  don't  ! "  And  the  little  recruit  looked  Miss 

Delia  Dove  in  the  eyes  and  gave  a  shake  of  his  head  for 
emphasis.  The  girl  looked  for  one  moment  as  if  she  were 
going  to  accept  his  offer.  Then  as  Andy  squared  himself 
and  opened  his  arms  wide  she  considered,  and,  with  a  toss 
of  her  head  and  a  sparkle  in  her  eyes,  turned  away. 

That  moment  the  latch  clicked  and  Hiram  Still's  daugh- 
ter, Virgy,  stood  beside  them,  shy  and  silent,  veiled  within 
her  sun-bonnet. 

"  Mr.  Stamper,  pappy  says  if  you'll  come  over  to  see 
him  about  that  business  o'  yourn,  maybe  he  can  make  out 
to  help  you  out." 

She  delivered  the  message  automatically,  and,  with  a  shy 
glance  at  Jacquelin,  and  another,  somewhat  different,  at 
Delia  Dove,  retired  once  more  within  the  deep  recesses  of 
her  sun-bonnet. 

"Well,  you  tell  your  pappy  that  I  say  I'm  much  obliged 
to  him  ;  but  I  ain't  got  any  business  with  him  that  I  knows 
on  ;  't  somebody  else's  done  helped  me  out."  The  voice 
was  kind,  though  the  words  were  sarcastic. 

"Yes,  sir.  Good-even'."  And  with  another  shy  glance 
and  nod  to  each  one  in  turn,  the  girl  turned  and  went  off 
as  noiselessly  as  a  hare. 

f '  That  girl  always  gives  me  the  creeps,"  said  Delia,  when 
Virgy  had  reached  a  safe  distance. 

"  How  about  Washy  ?"  asked  Andy,  at  which  Delia  only 
sniffed  disdainfully. 

Jacquelin  Gray  was  not  the  only  one  of  the  youngsters 
whose  patriotic  fervor  was  rewarded.  The  ladies  of  the 
neighborhood  made  a  banner  for  each  of  the  companies  that 


46  BED   ROCK 

went  forth,  and  Blair  Gary  was  selected  to  present  the 
banner  to  the  Red  Rock  company,  which  she  did  from  the 
court-house  balcony,  with  her  laughing  eyes  sobered  by 
excitement,  her  glowing  face  growing  white  and  pink  by 
turns,  and  her  little  tremulous  speech,  written  by  her 
father  and  carefully  conned  by  heart  for  days,  much  swal- 
lowed and  almost  inaudible  in  face  of  the  large  crowd 
filling  all  the  space  around,  and  of  the  brave  company 
drawn  up  in  the  road  below  her.  But  she  got  through 
it — that  part  about  "emulating  the  Spartan  youth  who 
came  back  with  his  shield  or  on  it,"  and  all ;  and  at  the 
close  she  carried  everyone  away  by  a  natural  clasp  of  her 
little  brown  hands  over  her  heart,  as  she  said,  "  And  don't 
you  let  them  take  it  away  from  you,  not  ever,"  outstretching 
her  arms  to  her  father,  who  sat  with  moist  eyes  at  one  end 
of  the  line  a  little  below  her,  with  Jacquelin  close  beside 
him,  his  eyes  like  saucers  for  interest  in,  and  admiration 
of,  Blair. 

"Blair,  that's  the  best  speech  that  ever  was  made,"  cried 
the  boy,  enthusiastically,  when  he  saw  her  ;  ' '  and  Steve  says 
so,  too.  Don't  you  wish  I  was  old  enough  to  go  ?  "  The 
little  girl's  cheeks  glowed  with  pleasure. 

The  evening  before  Jacquelin's  father  went  off,  he  called 
Jacquelin  into  his  office,  and  rising,  shut  the  door  himself. 
They  were  alone,  and  Jacquelin  was  mystified.  He  had 
never  before  been  summoned  for  an  interview  with  his 
father  unless  it  were  for  a  lecture,  or  worse.  He  hastily 
ran  over  in  his  mind  his  recent  acts,  but  he  could  recall 
nothing  that  merited  even  censure,  and  curiosity  took  the 
place  of  wonderment.  Wonder  came  back,  however,  when 
his  father,  motioning  him  to  a  seat,  stood  before  him  and 
began  to  address  him  in  an  entirely  new  and  unknown  tone. 
He  talked  to  him  as  if  he  were  a  man.  Jacquelin  suddenly 
felt  all  his  old  timidity  of  his  father  vanish,  and  a  new 
spirit,  as  it  were,  rise  up  in  his  heart.  His  father  told  him 
that  now  that  he  was  going  away  to  the  war,  he  might  never 
come  back ;  but  he  left,  he  said,  with  the  assurance  that 


THE  VISITORS   START  SOUTH   AGAIN  47 

whatever  happened,  he  would  be  worthily  succeeded  ;  and 
he  said  that  he  was  proud  of  him,  and  had  the  fullest  con- 
fidence in  him.  He  had  never  said  anything  like  this  to 
Jacquelin  before,  in  all  his  life,  and  the  boy  felt  a  new  sen- 
sation. He  had  no  idea  that  his  father  had  ever  been  satis- 
fied with  him,  much  less  been  proud  of  him.  It  was  like 
opening  the  skies  and  giving  him  a  glimpse  beyond  them 
into  a  new  heaven.  The  boy  suddenly  rose,  and  flung  his 
arms  about  his  father's  neck,  and  clung  there,  pouring  out 
his  heart  to  him.  Then  he  sat  down  again,  feeling  like  a 
shriven  soul,  and  the  father  and  son  understood  each  other 
like  two  school-fellows. 

Mr.  Gray  told  Jacquelin  of  his  will.  He  had  left  his 
mother  everything  ;  but  it  would  be  the  same  thing  as  if  he 
had  left  it  to  him  and  Rupert.  He,  as  the  oldest,  was  to 
have  Red  Rock,  and  Rupert  the  estate  in  the  South.  "  I 
leave  it  to  her,  and  I  leave  her  to  you,"  he  said,  putting 
his  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder.  Jacquelin  listened,  his 
mind  suddenly  sobered  and  expanded  to  a  man's  measure. 

"  And,  Jacquelin,"  he  said,  ' '  keep  the  old  place.  Make 
any  sacrifice  to  do  that.  Landholding  is  one  of  the  safe- 
guards of  a  gentry.  Our  people,  for  six  generations,  have 
never  sold  an  acre,  and  I  never  knew  a  man  who  sold  land 
that  throve." 

"  I  will  keep  it,  father,"  said  the  boy,  earnestly. 

There  were  some  debts,  but  not  enough  to  amount  to  any- 
thing, his  father  told  him  ;  the  principal  one  was  to  Hiram 
Still.  Still  had  wanted  him  to  keep  his  money,  and  he  had 
done  so.  It  could  be  paid  any  time,  if  necessary.  Still 
was  a  better  man  than  he  was  given  credit  for.  A  bad 
manner  made  those  who  did  not  know  him  well,  suspicious 
of  him.  But  he  was  the  best  business  man  he  had  ever 
known,  and  he  believed  devoted  to  his  interest.  His 
father,  old  Mr.  Still,  had  been  overseer  for  Jacquelin's 
grandfather  when  Mr.  Gray  was  a  boy,  and  he  could  not 
forget  him,  and  though  Still  was  at  present  in  poor  health, 
he  had  contracted  the  disease  while  in  their  service  at  the 


48  KED   ROCK 

South,  and  lie  would  be  glad  to  have  him  kept  in  his  posi- 
tion as  long  as  he  treated  the  negroes  well,  and  cared  to 
remain. 

"And,  Jacquelin,  one  other  thing :  be  a  father  to  Ku- 
pert.  See  that  he  gets  an  education.  •  It  is  the  one  patri- 
mony that  no  accident — not  even  war — can  take  away." 

Jacquelin  promised  his  father  that  he  would  remember 
his  injunctions,  and  try  faithfully  to  keep  them,  every  one  ; 
and  when  the  two  walked  out,  it  was  arm  in  arm  like  two 
brothers,  and  the  old  servants,  looking  at  them,  nodded 
their  heads,  and  talked  with  pride  of  Jacquelin's  growing 
resemblance  to  his  grandfather. 

Next  day  the  companies  raised  in  the  county  started 
off  to  the  war,  taking  almost  every  man  of  serviceable  age 
and  strength,  and  many  who  were  not. 

When  they  marched  away  it  was  like  a  triumphal  pro- 
cession. The  blue  haze  of  spring  lay  over  the  woods,  soft- 
ening the  landscape,  and  filling  it  with  peace.  Tears  were 
on  some  cheeks,  no  doubt ;  and  many  eyes  were  dimmed ; 
but  kerchiefs  and  scarfs  were  waved  by  many  who  could 
not  see,  and  fervent  prayers  went  up  from  many  hearts 
when  the  lips  were  too  tremulous  to  speak. 


CHAPTER  IV 

IK  WHICH   A   LOKG   JUMP  IS  TAKEN 

IT  is  not  proposed  to  attempt  any  relation  of  that  part 
of  the  lives  of  the  people  in  this  record  which  was  covered 
by  the  four  years  of  war.  That  period  was  too  tremendous 
to  be  made  a  mere  fragment  of  any  history.  "  After  that 
the  deluge." 

What  pen  could  properly  tell  the  story  of  those  foui 
years ;  what  fittingly  record  the  glory  of  that  struggle, 
hopeless  from  the  beginning,  yet  ever  appearing  to  pluck 
success  from  the  very  abyss  of  impossibility,  and  by  the 
sheer  power  of  unconquerable  valor  to  reverse  the  laws  of 
nature  and  create  the  consummation  it  desired,  in  the  face 
of  insuperable  force  ? 

It  was  a  great  formative  force  in  every  life  that  partici- 
pated in  it.  It  stamped  itself  on  every  face.  The  whole 
country  emptied  itself  into  it.  They  went  into  it  boys, 
and  came  out  of  it  men — striplings,  and  came  out  of  it 
heroes.  But  the  eye  once  fastened  on  that  naming  fire 
would  be  blinded  for  any  lesser  light. 

It  is  what  took  place  after  the  war  rather  than  what  oc- 
curred during  the  struggle  that  this  chronicle  is  concerned 
with. 

If  the  part  that  the  men  played  in  the  war  must  be 
passed  over  in  silence  as  too  large  for  this  history,  how 
much  more  impossible  would  it  be  to  describe  fitly  the  part 
that  the  women  performed.  It  was  a  harder  part  to  fill, 
yet  they  filled  it  to  the  brim,  good  measure,  overflowing. 
It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  men  to  say  that  whatever 
courage  they  displayed,  it  was  less  than  that  which  the 
4  49 


50  RED   KOCK 

women  showed.  Wherever  a  Southern  woman  stood  dur- 
ing those  four  years,  there  in  her  small  person  was  a 
garrison  of  the  South,  impregnable. 

Year  after  year  the  mills  of  war  ground  steadily  array 
after  array,  and  crushed  province  after  province,  and  still 
the  ranks  filled  and  poured  with  intrepid  daring  into  the 
abyss  of  destruction,  to  be  ground  like  their  predecessors 
to  dust ;  until  at  the  end  there  was  nothing  left  to  grind. 
Some  day  the  historian,  annalist  or  novelist,  may  arise  to  tell 
the  mighty  story,  but  meantime  this  pen  must  pass  it  by  as 
too  great  a  theme,  and  deal  with  the  times  that  come  after. 

One  or  two  incidents,  however,  must  be  mentioned  to 
fill  the  break  and  explain  what  came  afterward. 

Colonel  Gray,  who  had  been  early  promoted,  fell  at  the 
head  of  his  regiment  on  one  of  those  great  days  which  are 
the  milestones  of  history. 

His  body  was  brought  home  and  buried  in  the  old 
graveyard  at  Eed  Rock  among  generations  of  Grays,  of 
whom,  as  old  Mr.  Langstaff,  who  had  been  bodily  haled 
back  to  his  parish  by  his  congregation,  said  to  the  neigh- 
bors and  servants  about  the  grave,  not  one  was  a  better  or 
a  braver  man,  or  a  truer  gentleman.  Colonel  Gray's  burial 
marked  one  of  the  steps  of  the  war  in  that  retired  neigh- 
borhood. 

When  it  was  all  over,  and  the  neighbors  had  gone  home, 
and  the  servants  had  retired  to  their  quarters,  hushed  to 
that  vague  quietude  that  follows  the  last  putting  away  in 
the  earth  of  those  who  have  been  near  to  us,  Jacquelin  came 
out  of  the  office  where  he  had  held  that,  last  interview 
with  his  father,  and  walked  into  his  mother's  room.  His 
shoulders  were  square  and  his  figure  erect.  Mrs.  Gray 
rose  from  her  knees  as  he  entered,  and  stood  before  him  in 
her  black  dress,  her  face  deadly  white ;  her  eyes,  full  of 
fear,  fastened  on  his  face. 

"  Mamma — ."  He  stopped  as  if  that  were  all  he  had  to 
say,  and,  perhaps,  it  was ;  for  Mrs.  Gray  seated  herself 
calmly. 


IN   WHICH   A   LONG  JUMP  IS   TAKEN  51 

"  Yes,  my  son."  The  fine,  sad  eyes  grew  wistful.  How 
like  he  was  to  his  father  ! 

— "  Because,  you  know,  there  ought  to  be  one  of  us  in 
the  old  company,  mamma,"  he  said,  quite  as  though  he 
had  spoken  the  other  sentence. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  I  know."  And  the  mother  sighed,  her 
heart  breaking  in  spite  of  her  resolve  to  be  brave. 

" — And  I  am  the  only  man  of  the  name  now — and  I  am 
fifteen  and  a  whole  head  taller  than  Andy  Stamper." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  my  son."  She  had  noticed  it  that  day, 
and  had  known  this  would  come. 

"  And  he  is  one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  the  army — He 
said  so.  And  if — if  anything  happens,  you  have  Rupert." 
He  went  on  arguing,  as  though  his  mother  had  not  agreed 
with  him. 

"  Yes,  my  son,  I  know."  And  Mrs.  Gray  rose  suddenly 
and  flung  herself  into  his  arms  and  hugged  him  and  clung 
to  him,  and  wept  on  his  shoulder,  as  though  'he  were  his 
father.  * 

So  the  change  comes :  the  boy  in  little  trousers  sud- 
denly stands  before  the  mother  a  man  ;  the  little  girl  who 
was  in  her  pirjafores  yesterday,  to-day  has  stepped  into 
full-blown  womanhood  ;  and  the  children  have  gone ;  the 
old  has  passed  ;  and  the  new  is  here. 

General  Legaie  offered  to  make  a  place  on  his  staff  for 
Jacquelin ;  but  Jacquelin  declined  it.  He  wished  to  go 
into  the  Red  Rock  troop,  of  which  Steve  Allen  was  now 
Captain. 

"  Because,  mamma,  all  the  men  are  in  it,  and  Steve  has 
refused  a  majority  to  stay  with  them,  and  there  must  be 
one  of  the  Grays  in  the  old  company,"  he  said  with  a  rise 
of  his  head. 

Doan,  of  course,  expected  to  go  with  his  master ;  but 
Mrs.  Gray  vetoed  this ;  she  was  afraid  Doan  might  be 
killed  :  young  men  were  so  rash.  She  remembered  that 
Doan  was  his  mother's  only  son.  So,  by  a  compromise,  Old 
Waverley  was  sent.  He  had  so  much  judgment,  she  said. 


62  RED   ROCK 

The  year  after  Jacquelin  went  away  to  the  army  the 
tide  of  war  rolled  nearer  to  the  old  county,  and  the  next 
year,  that  which  had  been  deemed  impossible  befell  :  it 
swept  over  it. 

When  the  invading  army  had  passed,  the  county  was 
scarcely  recognizable. 

Jacqu elm's  career  in  the  army  was  only  that  of  many 
others — indeed,  of  many  thousands  of  others  :  he  went  in  a 
boy,  but  a  boy  who  could  ride  any  horse,  and  all  day  and 
all  night ;  sleep  on  stones  or  in  mud ;  and  if  told  to  go 
anywhere,  would  go  as  firmly  and  as  surely  among  bayonets 
or  belching  guns  as  if  it  were  in  a  garden  of  roses. 

Being  the  youngest  man  in  his  company,  he  might  nat- 
urally have  been  a  favorite  in  any  case  ;  but  when  he  was 
always  ready  to  stand  an  extra  tour  of  guard-duty,  or  to 
do  anything  else  for  a  comrade,  it  placed  his  popularity 
beyond  question.  They  used  to  call  him  "  The  baby  ; " 
but  after  a  sharp  cavalry  fight  on  a  hill-top  one  afternoon 
they  stopped  this.  Legaie's  brigade  charged,  and  find- 
ing infantry  entrenched,  were  retiring  amid  smoke  and 
dust  and  bullets,  when  Jacquelin,  missing  Morris  Gary, 
who  had  been  near  him  but  a  moment  before,  suddenly 
turned  and  galloped  back  through  the  smoke.  Two  or 
three  men  shouted  and  stopped,  and  Steve  suddenly 
dashed  back  after  the  boy,  followed  by  Andy  Stamper  and 
the  whole  company.  There  was  a  rally  with  the  whole 
Red  Rock  troop  in  the  lead,  Steve  Allen,  with  little  Andy 
Stamper  close  behind,  shouting  and  sabering  like  mad, 
which  changed  the  fortune  of  the  day. 

Poor  Morris  was  found  under  his  horse,  past  help  ;  but 
they  brought  his  body  out  of  the  fray,  and  Jacquelin  sent 
him  home,  with  a  letter  which  was  harder  to  write  than 
any  charge  he  had  ever  made  or  was  to  make — harder 
even  than  to  tell  Dr.  Gary,  who  was  at  the  field  hospital 
and  who  received  the  announcement  with  only  a  sudden 
tightening  of  the  mouth  and  whitening  of  the  face. 
After  that,  Andy  Stamper  "allowed  that  Jacquelin's 


IN   WHICH  A   LONG  JUMP  IS  TAKEN  53 

cradle  was  big  enough  for  him "  (Andy),  which  it  cer- 
tainly was,  by  linear  measurement,  at  least. 

Blair's  letter  to  Jacquelin  in  reply  was  more  to  him 
than  General  Legaie's  mention  of  his  name  in  his  re- 
port. 

Blair  was  growing  up  to  be  almost  a  woman  now. 
Women,  as  well  as  men,  age  rapidly  amid  battles,  and 
nearly  every  letter  Jacquelin  received  from  home  con- 
tained something  about  her.  "  What  a  pretty  girl  Blair 
has  grown  to  be.  You  have  no  idea  how  we  all  lean  on 
her/'  his  mother  wrote.  Or  Miss  Thomasia  would  say : 
"I  wish  you  could  have  heard  Blair  sing  in  church  last 
Sunday.  Her  voice  has  developed  unspeakable  sweetness, 
It  reminded  me  of  her  grandmother,  when  I  can  first  re- 
member her." 

It  was  not  a  great  while  after  this  that  Jacquelin  him- 
self went  down  one  day,  and  had  to  be  fought  over,  and 
though  he  fared  better  than  poor  Morris  Gary,  in  that  the 
bullet  which  brought  him  down  only  smashed  his  leg  in- 
stead of  finding  his  heart,  it  resulted  in  Steve  getting  both 
himself  and  his  horse  shot,  and  Jacquelin  being  left  in  the 
enemy's  hands,  along  with  Andy  Stamper,  who  had  fought 
over  him,  like  the  game  little  bantam  that  he  was,  until  a 
big  Irish  Sergeant  knocked  him  in  the  head  with  a  carbine- 
barrel  and  came  near  ending  the  line  of  the  Stampers  then 
and  there.  Happily,  Andy  came  to  after  a  while,  and  was 
taken  along  with  Jacquelin  and  sent  to  Point  Lookout. 

Jacquelin  and  Andy  stayed  in  prison  a  long  time ;  Andy 
because  he  was  a  hardy  and  untamed  little  warrior,  of  the 
kind  which  was  drawn  last  for  exchange ;  and  Jacquelin 
partly  because  he  was  unable  to  travel  on  account  of  his 
wound  and  partly  because  he  would  not  accept  an  ex- 
change to  leave  Andy. 

One  day,  however,  Andy  got  a  letter  which  seriously  af- 
fected him.  It  told  him  that  Delia  Dove  was  said  to  be 
going  to  marry  Mr.  Still.  Within  a  week  little  Andy, 
whose  constitution  had  hitherto  appeared  of  iron,  was  in 


64  EED   EOCK 

the  hospital.  The  doctor  told  Jacqnelin  that  he  thought 
he  was  seriously  ill,  and  might  die. 

That  night  Jacquelin  scribbled  a  line  to  Andy  and  per- 
suaded a  nurse,  Miss  Bush,  a  small  woman  with  thin 
hair,  a  sharp  nose  and  a  complaining  voice,  but  gentle 
eyes  and  a  kind  heart,  to  get  it  to  him.  It  ran  :  "  Hold 
on  for  Delia's  sake.  We'll  get  exchanged  before  long." 

"  Who  is  Delia  ?  "  asked  the  nurse,  looking  at  the  paper 
doubtfully.  It  was  against  orders  to  carry  notes. 

"His  sweetheart." 

The  nurse  took  the  note. 

In  a  week  Andy  was  ready  to  be  out  of  the  hospital. 

The  next  morning  Jacquelin  and  the  doctor  had  a  long 
talk,  and  later  on,  Jacquelin  and  the  nurse  ;  and  when  the 
next  draft  for  exchange  came,  the  name  of  Jacquelin  Gray 
was  on  it.  But  Andy  Stamper's  was  not.  So  the  nurse 
told  Jacquelin.  Another  note  was  written  and  conveyed 
by  Miss  Bush,  and  that  evening,  when  the  line  of  prisoners 
for  exchange  marched  out  of  the  prison  yard,  Andy 
Stamper,  with  his  old  blanket  pulled  up  around  his  face 
and  a  crutch  under  his  arm,  was  in  it.  Jacquelin  was 
watching  from  a  corner  of  the  hospital  window  while  the 
line  was  inspected.  Andy  answered  the  questions  all 
right — Private  in  Company  A,  — th  Cavalry  ;  captured  at 

;  wounded  in  leg;  and  just  left  hospital.  As  the 

last  guard  filed  out  behind  the  ragged  line  and  the  big 
gate  swung  to,  Jacquelin  hobbled  back  to  his  cot  and  lay 
with  his  face  to  the  wall.  The  nurse  came  by  presently 
and  stopping,  looked  down  at  him. 

"  Now  you've  gone  and  ruined  your  chance  for  ever/' 
she  said  in  the  querulous  tone  habitual  with  her. 

Jacquelin  shut  his  eyes  tightly,  then  opened  them  and 
without  a  word  gazed  straight  at  the  wall  not  a  foot  before 
him.  Suddenly  the  woman  bent  close  down  over  him  and 
kissed  him. 

"  You  are  a  dear  boy."  The  next  instant  she  went 
back  to  her  duty. 


IN   WHICH   A   LONG  JUMP   IS   TAKEN  55 

An  effort  was  made  to  get  an  exchange  for  Jacquelin, 
the  principal  agents  being  a  nurse  in  the  prison-hospital 
and  a  philanthropical  friend  of  hers,  a  Mrs.  Welch, 
through  whom  the  nurse  had  secured  her  position ;  but 
the  answer  was  conclusive  : 

"  Jacquelin  Gray  has  already  been  exchanged." 

As  for  Andy,  when  he  reached  home  he  found  the  re- 
port about  Miss  Delia  Dove  to  be  at  least  premature.  It 
was  not  only  Mr.  Washington  Still,  but  Hiram  as  well, 
who  was  unpleasantly  attentive  to  her,  and  Miss  Delia, 
after  the  first  burst  of  genuine  delight  at  Andy's  unex- 
pected appearance,  proceeded  to  use  the  prerogative  of 
her  sex  and  wring  her  lover's  heart  by  pretending  to  be 
pleased  by  his  new  rival's  attentions.  Andy,  accordingly, 
did  not  stay  long  at  home,  but  accepting  the  renewed 
proffer  of  a  loan  from  Hiram  Still  to  buy  a  horse,  was 
soon  back  with  the  old  company,  sadly  wasted  by  this  time 
and  only  kept  up  by  the  new  recruits,  on  whom  Andy 
looked  with  disdain. 

When  Wash  Still  was  drafted  from  the  dispensary  de- 
partment of  the  hospital  service  it  was  some  consolation 
that  he  was  at  least  banished  from  dangerous  proximity  to 
Miss  Delia,  but  it  was  hard  to  have  to  accept  him  as  a  com- 
rade, and  Andy's  sunburned  nose  was  always  turned  up 
when  Wash  was  around. 

"  Washy  Still  in  place  of  Jacquelin  Gray,"  he  sniffed  ; 
*'a  dinged  little  'pothecary-shop  sweeper  for  a  boy  as 
didn't  mind  bullets  no  mo'  than  flies.  I  bet  he's  got  pills 
in  that  pistol  now  !  And  he  to  be  a-settin'  up  to  Delia 
Dove  ! " 

However,  a  few  months  later  Andy  had  his  reward. 

So  it  happened,  that  when  the  end  came,  Andy  was 
back  with  the  old  company,  and  Jacquelin  was  still  in 
prison. 


CHAPTER  V 

DR.   CART  RETURNS  FROM  THE  WAR,   AND  TAKES  AN" 
INVENTORY   OF    STOCK 

THE  home-coming  of  the  men  who  went  to  the  war  was 
about  the  same  time  of  the  year  that  most  of  them  went 
forth.  While  the  troops  of  the  victorious  army  were 
parading  amid  the  acclaims  of  multitudes,  the  remnants 
of  that  other  army  that  had  met  and  defeated  them  so 
often  were  making  their  way  back  to  their  dismantled 
homes,  with  everything  they  had  fought  for  lost,  save 
honor.  They  came  home  singly  or  in  squads  from  north- 
ward, eastward  and  westward,  wherever  their  commands 
happened  to  be  when  the  final  collapse  came.  And  but 
for  certain  physical  landmarks  they  would  scarcely  have 
known  the  old  neighborhood.  The  blue  mountains  still 
stretched  across  the  skyline,  with  the  nearer  spurs  nestled 
at  their  feet ;  the  streams  still  ran  through  the  little 
valleys  between  the  hills,  under  their  willows  and  syca- 
mores, as  they  ran  when  Steve  Allen  and  Jacquelin  and 
the  other  boys  fished  and  swam  in  them  ;  but  the  bridges 
were  gone,  and  the  fishing-holes  were  dammed  with  fallen 
trees,  some  of  them  cut  down  during  the  battles  that  had 
been  fought  on  their  banks.  And  the  roads  made  by  the 
army-wagons  often  turned  out  through  the  unfenced  fields 
and  the  pillaged  and  fire-scorched  forests. 

Dr.  Gary,  now  known  as  Major  Gary,  from  his  title  as 
surgeon  in  General  Legaie's  brigade,  and  Captain  Allen 
and  Sergeant  Stamper  came  home  together  as  they  had 
ridden  away  together  through  the  April  haze  four  years 
before.  They  had  started  from  the  place  of  their  surren- 
der with  a  considerable  company,  who  had  dropped  off 

56 


DE.    CART    RETURNS    FROM   THE   WAR  57 

from  time  to  time  as  they  had  arrived  at  the  roads  which 
took  them  their  several  ways,  and  these  three  were  the 
last  to  separate.  When  they  parted,  it  was  at  the  forks 
where  the  old  brick  church  had  stood  when  they  last 
passed  that  way.  The  church  had  gone  down  in  the  track 
of  war.  Nothing  remained  of  it  now  except  fragments  of 
the  walls,  and  even  these  were  already  half  hidden  by  the 
thicket  which  had  grown  up  around  them.  It  brought 
the  whole  situation  very  close  home  to  them  ;  for  they  all 
had  memories  of  it  :  Dr.  Gary  had  buried  his  father  and 
mother  there,  and  Stamper  and  Delia  Dove  had  been  mar- 
ried in  it  a  year  before.  And  they  did  not  have  a  great 
many  words  to  speak — perhaps,  none  at  all  at  the  very 
last— only  a  "  Well — Well  ! "  with  a  rising  inflection,  and 
something  like  a  sigh  ;  and  then,  after  a  long  pause,  from 
the  older  officer,  a  sudden  :  "  Well,  good-by,  Steve ; 
— good-by,  Sergeant.  We'll  have  to  begin  over  again. — 
God  bless  you — Come  over  and  see  me.  Good-by."  And 
from  each  of  the  other  two,  "  Good-by,  Major — I  will ; — 
Good-by,  Tarquin,"  to  the  Major's  tall,  gray-haired  body- 
servant,  waiting  silently,  on  his  weary  horse  ;  then  a  couple 
of  hard  handgrips  and  silence  ;  and  the  horses  went  plash- 
ing off  in  the  mud,  slow  and  sullen,  reluctant  to  leave 
each  other.  All  turned  once  to  look  back  ;  caught  each 
other's  glances  and  waved  their  hands  ;  and  then  rode  on 
through  the  mud,  their  heads  sunk  on  their  chests,  and 
the  officer's  two  body-servants,  old  Tarquin  and  young 
Jerry,  following  silently  behind  their  masters. 

The  meeting  at  home  was  in  the  dusk. 

The  little  group  waiting  on  the  hill-top  at  Dr.  Gary's  for 
the  small  cavalcade  as  they  rode  up  through  the  waning 
light  had  been  waiting  and  watching  for  days  ;  but  there 
were  no  words  spoken  at  the  meeting.  Only,  Mrs.  Gary 
walked  out  from  the  others  and  met  her  husband  a  part 
of  the  way  down  the  hill,  and  Blair  followed  her  a  moment 
after. 

When  the  doctor  reached  his  door,  walking  between  his 


58  KED    ROCK 

wife  and  daughter,  an  arm  around  each,  he  turned  to  his 
old  servant,  who  was  holding  the  horses  : 

"  Tarquin,  you  are  free.  I  present  you  the  horse  you 
rode  home.  Take  the  saddles  off,  and  turn  them  out." 
And  he  walked  into  the  house,  shaking  by  the  hand  the 
servants  clustered  about  the  door. 

It  was  only  when  he  was  inside,  facing  the  portrait  of  a 
young  boy  with  handsome,  dark  eyes,  that  he  gave  way. 

The  very  next  day  Dr.  Gary,  to  use  a  commercial  phrase, 
began  to  "take  stock." 

"  Taking  stock  "  is  always  a  serious  thing  to  do,  and  it 
must  come  often  into  every  thoughtful  man's  life.  He  is 
his  own  ledger.  In  all  cases  he  must  look  back  and  meas- 
ure himself  by  himself.  Perhaps  some  hour  brings  him 
some  question  on  which  all  must  hinge.  It  may  come  un- 
expectedly, or  he  may  have  seen  it  advancing  with  inevi- 
table steps.  He  may  have  brought  it  on  himself,  or  he 
may  have  fought  strenuously  against  it.  It  is  all  the 
same.  It  comes  straight  down  upon  him,  a  cyclone  threat- 
ening to  overwhelm  him,  and  he  must  meet  it  either  as 
a  brave  man  or  a  craven.  It  comes,  sweeps  past  or  over 
him  and  leaves  him  in  its  track,  unscathed  or  wounded 
or  slain.  But  it  comes.  And  this  is  Life.  The  ancients 
called  it  Fate  ;  we  call  it  Providence  or  Chance,  or  the 
result  of  natural  laws.  But  by  whatever  name  known,  it 
is  inscrutable. 

So  Dr.  Gary  felt  that  soft  spring  morning  as  he  stood 
on  the  front  porch  of  the  roomy  and  rambling  old  man- 
sion, where  the  Carys  had  had  their  seat  and  had  made 
the  Birdwood  hospitality  celebrated  for  more  than  two 
hundred  years,  and  looked  across  the  wide  lawn,  once  well 
trimmed  and  filled  with  shrubbery  and  flowers,  now  ragged 
and  torn.  His  eye  took  in  the  whole  scene.  The  wide 
fields,  once  teeming  with  life,  stretched  before  him  now 
empty  and  silent ;  the  fences  were  broken  down  or  had 
disappeared  altogether.  And  yet  the  grass  was  fresh  and 
green,  the  trees  and  bushes  were  just  bursting  from  bud  to 


DR.   CAEY   KETUBNS   FROM  THE  WAR  59 

leaf  ;  the  far-off  mountains  rose  bine  and  tender  across  the 
newly  washed  sky  ;  the  birds  were  flitting  and  singing 
joyously,  and  somewhere,  around  the  house,  a  young  girFs 
voice  was  singing  sweeter  than  any  of  the  birds.  The 
look  on  the  old  soldier's  face  was  for  a  moment  one  of 
deep  gravity,  if  not  of  dejection ;  but  it  passed  away  the 
next  instant,  as  Blair's  song  reached  him  and  as  a  step 
sounded  behind  him,  and  a  hand  was  laid  lightly  on  his 
shoulder,  followed  by  an  even  softer  touch  on  his  arm,  as 
his  wife's  face  rested  for  a  moment  against  it.  At  the 
caressing  touch  his  expression  changed,  he  looked  down 
in  her  eyes  and,  when  he  spoke,  it  was  with  a  new  light 
in  his  own  eyes  and  a  new  tone  in  his  voice. 

"Well,  Bess,  we'll  begin  all  over  again.  We  have 
each  other,  and  we  have  Blair,  and  we  have — the  land.  It 
's  as  much  as  our  forefathers  began  with.  At  least,  I 
think  we  have  the  land — I  don't  suppose  they'll  take  that 
away.  If  they  do — why,  we  have  each  other  and  Blair, 
anyhow.  If  we  only  had  the  boy  ! "  He  turned  his  face 
away. 

"He  died  for  his  country,"  said  the  mother,  though 
her  voice  belied  the  courage  of  her  words. 

"He  died  like  a  soldier  :  with  all  his  wounds  before." 
He  looked  down  into  his  wife's  eyes. 

"  Yes."    And  she  sighed  deeply. 

"  We  have  to  take  care  of  what's  left.  Where  is  Jim 
Sherwood  ?  I  have  not  seen  him." 

"  He  has  gone." 

"  What  ! "  The  Doctor  gave  a  whistle  of  amazement. 
"  I'd  almost  as  soon  have  expected  Mammy  Krenda  and 
Tarquin  to  leave."  Jim  was  one  of  the  most  trusted  men 
about  the  place,  a  sort  of  preacher  and  leader,  and  had  mar- 
ried, as  his  third  wife,  Mammy  Krenda's  daughter,  Jane. 

"  Yes,  Jim  has  gone.  He  went  two  weeks  ago,  and  I 
was  rather  glad  he  went,"  said  Mrs.  Gary.  "  He  had  never 
been  quite  the  same  since  the  Yankees  came  through  ;  you 
know  he  behaved  very  badly  then.  He  had  changed  more 


60  BED   ROCK 

than  almost  anyone  of  them  who  remained.  He  had  been 
preaching  a  good  deal  lately,  and  appeared  to  be  stirring 
the  others  up  more  than  I  liked.  There  seemed  to  have 
been  some  influence  at  work  among  them  that  I  could  not 
understand.  It  was  said  that  Mr.  Still,  Helen's  manager — 
But  I  don't  know/'  — she  broke  off.  "I  heard  them  one 
night,  at  the  house,  and  went  out  to  the  church  where  they 
were,  and  found  them  in  a  great  state  of  excitement.  They 
quieted  down  when  I  appeared.  That  repulsive  creature, 
Mr.  Gray's  Moses,  was  there,  and  I  ordered  him  home,  and 
gave  them  a  talk,  and  the  next  morning  Jim  Sherwood  was 
missing  too,  and  a  few  days  later  Jane  said  that  she  had  to 
go  also.  I  told  them  they  were  free,  but  if  they  remained 
here  they  must  observe  my  regulations.  I  put  Gideon  in 
charge  and  told  him  you  would  look  to  him  to  keep  ordre 
till  you  came.  And  he  has  done  so  to  the  best  of  his  abil- 
ity, I  believe.  I  hear  that  he  gave  Jim  Sherwood  to  un- 
derstand that  he  would  have  no  more  of  his  preaching  here 
for  the  present,  and  that  if  he  wanted  to  preach  for  Hiram 
Still  he  could  go  to  Eed  Hock  and  do  it,  -not  here.  And 
now  you  are  here,  this  is  the  end  of  my  stewardship,  and  I 
surrender  it  into  your  hands." 

She  made  her  husband,  half-mockingly,  a  profound 
curtsey — perhaps  to  turn  off  the  serious  thoughts  which 
her ;  words  called  up.  But  the  Doctor  declared  that,  at 
least,  one  of  her  slaves  recognized  too  well  the  blessing  of 
servitude  to  such  a  mistress  to  wish  for  freedom,  and  that 
he  declined  to  assume  control. 

"  Why,  Bess,  we  men  fought  a  quarter  of  the  war  and 
you  women  fought  three-quarters.  Do  you  imagine  we 
want  to  depose  you-?  " 

Just  then  a  young  girl  came  around  the  corner  of  the 
house,  her  dark  eyes  full  of  light ;  her  hair  blown  back 
from  her  forehead  by  the  morning  breeze,  and  her  hands 
full  of  jonquils  and  other  early  flowers.  Her  face  was  glow- 
ing with  the  exercise  she  has  been  taking,  and  her  whole 
person  was  radiant  with  youth. 


DR.    GARY    RETURNS   FROM  THE   WAR  61 

"  The  morn  is  breaking.  Here  comes  Aurora/'  said  her 
father,  gazing  at  her  fondly,  at  which  Miss  Blair's  cheeks 
glowed  only  the  more. 

It  was  proposed  by  the  Doctor  that  they  should  invite  to 
dinner  such  of  their  friends  as  had  arrived  at  home  and 
could  be  reached. 

"  Our  first  reunion/'  said  Mrs.  Gary,  smiling,  and  she 
began  to  give,  what  she  called  her  menu,  in  which,  corn- 
bread,  dried  fruit,  black-eyed  pease,  and  welcome  figured  as 
the  principal  dishes.  She  laughed  at  her  husband's  dumb 
amazement. 

"  Bess,"  said  the  Doctor,  humbly,  "  I  retract  what  I  said 
a  little  while  ago  about  our  having  fought  a  fourth  of  the 
war — it  was  the  speech  of  a  braggart."  And  having  fol- 
lowed her  with  his  eyes,  as  she  went  into  the  house,  he 
walked  around  to  have  a  talk  with  his  negroes. 

He  found  a  number  of  them  congregated  and  evidently 
expecting  something  of  the  kind. 

"  Gideon,  tell  the  men  I  wish  to  speak  to  them/' 

In  fifteen  minutes  they  had  collected.  He  called  them 
all  up,  and  standing  on  the  portico  of  the  office  where  he 
had  been  accustomed  to  speak  with  them,  addressed  a  few 
calm  words  to  them. 

For  a  moment  he  went  over  the  past.  They  had  been 
faithful  servants,  he  said.  And  he  was  glad  to  be  able  to 
say  this  to  them.  Now  there  were  to  be  new  relations  be- 
tween them.  He  told  them  they  were  free — on  which 
there  was  an  audible  murmur  of  acquiescence — and  they 
could  leave,  if  they  pleased.  There  was  another  murmur 
of  satisfaction.  But  if  they  remained  they  would  have 
to  work  and  be  subject  to  his  authority. 

Upon  this  many  of  the  older  ones  signified  their  assent, 
while  some  of  the  others  turned  and,  looking  back,  called 
to  some  one  in  the  rear  of  the  crowd  : 

f(  Come,  Brer  Sherrod,  you  done  heah  de  noration  ;  now 
come  and  gi'  de  'spouse." 

A  low,  stout  negro,  of  middle  age,  whom  the  Doctor  had 


62  RED   ROCK 

not  before  noticed,  came  forward  somewhat  sheepishly, 
but  with  a  certain  swagger  in  his  gait.  It  was  evidently 
concerted.  The  Doctor's  mind  acted  quickly.  At  the 
speaker's  first  word,  he  cut  him  short. 

"  I  decline  to  allow  Jim  Sherwood  to  be  the  spokes- 
man," he  said.  "  He  does  not  belong  here.  I  left  him  in 
a  position  of  trust,  and  he  has  failed  in  it.  Fall  to  the 
rear  ;  I  make  no  terms  with  outsiders." 

Taken  by  surprise  at  the  tone  of  authority,  the  exhorter 
fell  or  was  moved  back,  in  sudden  confusion,  while  the 
doctor  went  on  : 

"  Gideon,  I  appoint  you  ;  you  have  proved  trustworthy. 
This  place  has  supported  two  hundred  souls  in  the  past, 
and  we  can  make  it  do  so  again.  Tell  them  that  all  those 
who  remain  here  and  work  under  you,  including  Sher- 
wood, shall  be  supported  and  treated  fairly  and  paid  what 
is  proper  if  it  takes  every  acre  I  have  to  do  it ;  the  others 
can  go  and  find  homes  elsewhere."  He  turned  on  his  heel 
and  walked  into  the  house. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  good  force  at  work  in  the 
fields. 

Some  of  those  he  had  addressed  had  gone  off  in  the 
night ;  but  most  of  them  remained,  and  the  Doctor  told 
Mrs.  Gary  he  thought  things  would  work  out  all  right ;  he 
was  ready  to  accept  present  conditions,  and  matters  would 
adjust  themselves. 

"  Time  is  the  adjuster,"  he  said. 


CHAPTER  VI 

A   BROKEN   SOLDIER   COMES   HOME   FROM  WAB 

IT  was  a  little  over  two  weeks  or,  perhaps,  three,  after 
the  Confederate  armies  had  laid  down  their  arms  and  dis- 
banded, and  the  rest  of  the  men  from  the  county  had 
turned  their  faces  homeward  with,  or  without,  their  paroles 
in  their  pockets,  that  a  train  which  had  been  crawling  all 
night  over  the  shaky  track,  stopped  in  the  morning  near  the 
little  station,  or  what  remained  of  it,  on  the  edge  of  the 
county,  where  persons  bound  for  nearly  all  that  region  got 
off.  A  passenger  was  helped  down  by  the  conductor  and 
brakeman  and  was  laid,  with  his  crutch  and  blanket,  as 
gently  as  might  be,  on  a  bank  a  little  way  from  the  track. 

"  Are  you  all  right  now  ?  Do  you  think  you  can  get 
on  ?  You  are  sure  someone  will  come  for  you  ?  "  asked 
the  train  men. 

"  Oh  !  yes  ;  I  feel  better  already."  And  the  young  fel- 
low stretched  out  his  hands  in  the  gray  dawn  and  felt  the 
moist  earth  on  either  side  of  him  almost  tenderly. 

As  the  railroad  men  climbed  back  into  the  car  they  were 
conversing  together  in  low  tones. 

"  Unless  his  friends  come  before  many  hours  they  won't 
find  him,"  said  one  of  them.  "  I  don't  know  but  what  we 
ought  to  a'  brought  him  along,  any  way." 

But  Jacquelin  Gray  had  more  staying  power  than  they 
gave  him  credit  for,  and  the  very  touch  of  the  soil  he 
loved  did  him  good.  He  dragged  himself  a  little  way  up, 
stretched  himself  out  under  a  tree  on  the  grass  near 
where  they  had  laid  him,  and  went  to  sleep  like  a  baby. 
The  sun  came  up  over  the  dewy  trees  and  warmed  him, 

63 


64  BED   ROCK 

and  he  only  turned  and  slept  on,  dreaming  that  he  had 
escaped  from  prison  and  reached  the  old  county  too  weary 
to  go  any  farther,  and  so,  lay  down  on  a  bank  and  waited 
for  someone  to  come  for  him.  How  often  he  had  dreamed 
that,  and  had  awaked  to  find  himself  in  his  old  cot  in  the 
hospital,  maybe,  with  the  guard  peering  down  at  him 
with  his  lantern.  Suddenly  a  shadow  fell  across  his  face, 
and  he  woke  and  looked  up.  Yes,  there  was  the  guard, 
three  or  four  of  them,  gazing  down  on  him  in  their  blue 
uniform. 

"  Jacquelin  Gray.  No.  — .  Ward  ten/'  he  muttered 
wearily,  as  he  used  to  do  in  the  hospital,  and  was  closing 
his  eyes  again  when  he  awaked  fully.  Two  or  three  Fed- 
eral soldiers,  one  of  them  an  officer,  a  little  fellow  with 
blue  eyes,  were  leaning  over  him,  and  a  cavalry  company 
was  yonder  at  rest,  in  the  road  below  him.  He  was  free 
after  all,  back  in  the  old  county. 

The  Lieutenant  asked  him  his  name  and  how  he  came 
there,  and  he  told  them. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Home  ! "  with  a  little  flash  in  his  eye. 

"  Where  is  that  ?  " 

"Above  here,  across  the  country,  in  the  Eed  Rock 
neighborhood — beyond  Brutusville." 

"  Why,  we  are  going  that  way  ourselves — we  were  going 
to  give  you  a  decent  burial ;  but  maybe  we  can  do  you  a 
better  turn  if  you  are  not  ready  for  immortality  ;  we've  an 
ambulance  along,  and  here's  the  best  substitute  for  the 
honor  we  offered  you." 

The  little  Lieutenant  was  so  cheery  as  he  pressed  the 
canteen  to  Jacquelin's  lips  that  the  latter  could  not  help 
feeling  better. 

The  Captain,  who  had  remained  with  the  company,  came 
over,  on  his  handsome  horse,  picking  his  way  through  the 
debris  lying  about. 

"  So  he  is  alive  after  all  ?"  he  asked  as  he  rode  up. 

"  Alive  ?    Well,  if  you'd  seen  the  way  he  took  this  J " 


A  BROKEN   SOLDIER  COMES   HOME  FROM   WAR      65 

And  the  Lieutenant  shook  his  canteen  up  beside  his  ear, 
as  if  to  gauge  its  remaining  contents  ;  then  held  it  to 
Jacquelin  again. 

"  Have  another  pull  ?  No  ?  All  right — when  you  want 
it.  You  aren't  the  first  reb's  had  a  swig  at  it." 

Then  he  repeated  to  his  superior,  a  tall,  handsome  fellow, 
what  Jacquelin  had  told  him  as  to  his  name  and  destina- 
tion. In  an  instant  the  Captain  had  sprung  from  his  horse. 

"  Jacquelin  Gray  !     Red  Rock  ! — By  Jove  !    It  can't 
be  ! "    He  stared  down  at  the  man  on  the  ground. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  live  at  a  place  called 
'Red  Rock' — a  great  plantation,  with  a  big  rock  by  a 
burial-ground,  and  a  red  stain  on  it,  said  to  be  an  Indian's 
blood?" 

Jacquelin  nodded. 

"  Well  by !     What's  the  matter  with  you  ?    Where 

nave  you  been  ?  What  are  you  dressed  this  way  for  ? — I 
mean  an  old  plantation  where  there  was  a  wedding — or  a 
wedding-party,  about  five  years  ago — ?  "  he  broke  out,  as 
if  it  were  impossible  to  believe  it.  "And — a  little  girl, 
named  Blair  Something,  sang  ?  " 

Jacquelin  nodded. 

"Yes,  that's  the  place — Miss  Blair  Gary.  But  who 
Are — ?  What  do  you  know  about ?  " 

"  Well,  I'm—  Here,  Reely,  call  Sergeant  O'Meara  ;  tell 
him  to  send  the  ambulance  here  directly,"  interrupted  the 
Captain.  He  turned  back  to  Jacquelin. 

"  Don't  you  remember  me  ?  I'm  Middleton — Lawrence 
Middleton.  Don't  you  remember?  I  happened  in  that 
night  with  Mr.  Welch,  and  you  took  care  of  us  ?  I've 
never  forgotten  it." 

"I  remember  it — you  painted  the  horse  red,"  said 
Jacquelin. 

"  Yes— it  was  really  this  fellow,  Reely  Thurston.     He 
is  the  one  that  got  me  into  all  that  trouble.     And  he  has 
got  me  into  a  lot  more  since.     But  where  have  you  been 
that  you  look  like  this  ?  " 
5 


66  RED  ROCK 

Jacqnelin  told  him. 

By  this  time  several  of  the  people  from  the  few  houses 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  station,  who  had  at  first  kept 
aloof  from  the  troop  of  soldiers  and  gazed  at  them  from  a 
distance,  had  come  up,  seeing  that  they  had  a  Confederate 
with  them.  They  recognized  Jacquelin  and  began  to  talk 
about  his  appearance,  and  to  make  cutting  speeches  as  to 
the  treatment  he  had  undergone. 

"  We  ain't  forgot  your  Pa/'  some  of  them  said. 

"Nor  you  neither/'  said  one  of  the  women,  who  added 
that  she  was  Andy  Stamper's  cousin. 

They  wanted  Jacquelin  to  stay  with  them  and  let  them 
take  care  of  him  until  his  mother  could  send  for  him. 
Captain  Allen  had  been  down  to  see  about  him,  and  Andy 
Stamper  had  been  there  several  times,  and  had  said  that  if 
he  didn't  hear  anything  from  him  next  time,  he  was  going 
North  to  see  about  him,  if  he  had  to  ride  his  old  horse 
there. 

Jacquelin,  however,  was  so  anxious  to  get  home  that, 
notwithstanding  the  pressing  invitations  of  his  friends,  he 
accepted  the  offer  of  the  Federal  officers,  and,  after  getting 
a  cup  of  coffee  from  Andy's  cousin — who  said  it  was  the  first 
she  had  had  in  three  years — he  was  helped  up  in  the  am- 
bulance and  was  driven  off. 

The  company,  it  seemed,  had  come  up  from  the  city 
the  day  before  and  had  encamped  a  little  below  the  sta- 
tion, and  was  marching  to  Brutusville,  where  it  was  to 
be  posted. 

Julius,  General  Legaie's  old  butler,  met  them  near  the 
court-house  and  plunged  out  in  the  mud  and  wrung 
Jacquelin's  hand,  thanking  God  for  his  return. 

The  old  butler  was  on  the  lookout  for  his  master, 
who  had  not  come  home  yet,  and  about  whom  he  was 
beginning  to  be  very  uneasy.  The  General  had  gone  South 
somewhere  "  to  keep  on  fightin'/'  Julius  told  Jacquelin, 
and  he  invited  him  to  come  by  and  spend  the  night,  and 
offered  to  go  on  himself  and  let  his  mother  know  he  had 


A   BROKEN   SOLDIER  COMES   HOME  FROM   WAR      67 

come.  The  old  fellow,  in  his  best  clothes — a  high  hat  and 
an  old  blue  coat  with  brass  buttons— and  with  his  best 
manners,  caused  much  amusement  to  the  soldiers,  and 
Lieutenant  Thurston  undertook  to  tease  him. 

"You  haven't  any  master  now," he  said. 

The  old  servant  looked  at  him. 

"I  ain't?  Does  you  think  Fse  a  free  nigger?"  he 
asked,  sharply,  "'Cause  I  ain't  \" 

"  Yes,  but  I  mean  we've  taken  your  master  prisoner." 

"  You  is  ?  "  He  looked  at  him  again  keenly.  "  Nor, 
you  ain't.  It'll  teck  a  bigger  man  'n  you  to  teck  my 
master  prisoner — And  he  ain'  big  as  you  nuther,"  he  said, 
with  a  snap  of  his  eyes.  "  He  ain't  de  kind  dat  s'renders." 

"  We'll  have  to  stand  in  on  this  together,"  said  the  little 
Lieutenant  across  to  Jacquelin,  as  the  laugh  went  round  ; 
and  then  to  Julius,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  toward 
Jacquelin,  "Well,  what  do  you  say  to  that  gentleman's 
having  surrendered  ?" 

The  old  darky  was  quick  enough,  however. 

"  He  was  shot,  and  besides  you  never  got  him.  I  know 
you  never  got  nigh  enough  to  him  in  battle  to  shoot  him." 

"I  think  you'll  have  to  go  this  alone,"  said  Jacque- 
lin. The  Lieutenant  admitted  himself  routed. 

Late  that  evening  Jacquelin's  ambulance  was  toiling  up 
the  hill  to  Eed  Eock,  while  the  troop  of  cavalry,  sent  to 
keep  order  in  that  section,  with  its  tents  pitched  in  the 
court-house  yard  under  the  big  trees,  were  taking  a  sur- 
vey of  the  place  they  had  come  to  govern.  Little  Thur- 
ston, who,  as  they  rode  in,  had  caught  sight  of  a  plump 
young  girl  gazing  at  them  from  the  open  door  of  the  old 
clerk's  office,  with  mingled  curiosity  and  defiance,  declared 
that  it  was  not  half  as  bad  as  some  places  he  had  been  in 
in  the  South.  At  that  moment,  as  it  happened,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Dockett,  the  young  lady  in  question,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Dockett,  the  old  County  Clerk,  was  describing  to 
her  mother  the  little  Lieutenant  as  the  most  ridiculous 
and  odious-looking  little  person  in  the  world. 


68  BED   ROCK 

It  was  night  when  Jacquelin  reached  home  ;  but  so  keen 
was  the  watch  in  those  times,  that  the  ambulance  had  been 
heard  in  the  dark,  so  that  when  he  arrived  there  was  quite 
a  crowd  on  the  lawn  ready  to  receive  him,  and  the  next 
moment  he  was  in  his  mother's  arms. 

Sergeant  O'Meara,  who  had  been  detailed  to  go  on  with 
the  ambulance,  took  back  to.  the  court-house  an  account 
of  the  meeting. 

"It  was  wurruth  the  drive,"  he  said,  "  to  see  'um  whan 
we  got  there.  An'  if  I'd  been  th'  Gineral  himself,  or  the 
Captain,  they  couldn't  V  made  more  fuss  over  me. 
Bedad  !  I  thought  they  moust  tak*  me  for  a  Gineral 
at  least ;  but  no,  ut  was  me  native  gintilitee.  I  was  that 
proud  of  meself  I  almost  shed  tears  of  j'y.  The  only 
thing  I  lacked  was  some  wan  to  say  me  so  gran'  that  could 
appreciate  me.  An  ould  gintleman — a  Docther  Major 
Gary — a  good  Oirish  naim,  bedad  ! — was  there  to  say  wan 
of  the  leddies,  and  ivery  toime  a  leddy  cooms  in,  oop  he 
gits,  and  bows  very  gran',  an*  the  leddy  bows  an'  passes  by, 
an'  down  he  sets,  an'  I  watches  him  out  o'  the  tail  of  me 
eye,  an'  ivery  toime  he  gits  oup,  oup  I  gits  too.  An'  J 
says: 

tetl  always  rise  for  the  leddies  ;  me  mither  was  a  leddy,' 
an'  he  says,  with  a  verra  gran'  bow  :  '  Yis,'  he  says,  '  an' 
her  son  is  a  gintleman,  too.'  What  dy'e  think  o'  that  ? 
An'  I  says,  '  Yis,  I  know  he  is.' " 

Next  morning  Jacquelin  was  in  a  very  softened  mood. 
The  joy  of  being  free  and  at  home  again  was  tempered  by 
memory  of  the  past  and  realization  of  the  present ;  but  he 
was  filled  with  a  profound  feeling  which,  perhaps,  he  him- 
self could  not  have  named.  As  he  hobbled  out  to  the 
front  portico  and  gazed  around  on  the  wide  fields  spread 
out  below  him,  with  that  winding  ribbon  of  tender  green, 
where  the  river  ran  between  its  borders  of  willows  and 
sycamores,  he  renewed  his  resolve  to  follow  in  his  father's 
footsteps.  He  would  keep  the  place  at  all  sacrifices.  He 
was  in  this  pleasant  frame  of  mind  when  Hiram  Still  came 


A  BROKEN   SOLDIER   COMES   HOME   FROM  WAR     69 

around  the  house.  Still  had  aged  during  the  war,  his 
voice  had  become  more  confidential. 

As  he  came  up  to  Jacquelin,  the  latter,  notwithstanding 
his  outstretched  hand  and  warm  words,  had  a  sudden  re- 
turn of  his  old  feeling  of  suspicion  and  dislike. 

"  Mr.  Jacquelin,  I  swan,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  suh — 
an*  to  see  you  lookin'  so  well.  I  told  yo'  Ma  you'd  come 
back  all  right.  An*  I  told  that  Yankee  what  brought 
you  up  last  night  that  'twas  a  shame  they  treated  you  as 
they  done,  and  if  you  hadn't  come  back  all  right  we'd  V 
come  up  thar  an'  cleaned  'em  out.  Yes,  sir,  we  would 
that. 

"  I  sent  him  off  this  mornin' — saw  him  acrost  the  ford 
myself  ; "  he  added,  lowering  his  voice  confidentially,  "  be- 
cause I  don't  like  to  have  'em  prowling  around  my  place — 
our  place — too  much.  Stirs  up  th'  niggers  so  you  can't  get 
no  work  out  of  'em.  And  I  didn't  like  that  fellow's  looks, 
particularly.  Well,  I  certainly  am  glad  to  see  you  lookin* 
so  well." 

Jacquelin  felt  doubly  rebuked  for  his  unjust  suspicions, 
and,  as  a  compensation,  told  Mr.  Still  of  his  last  conversa- 
tion with  his  father,  and  of  what  his  father  had  said  of 
him.  Still  was  moved  almost  to  tears. 

"  Your  father  was  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in  this 
world,  Mr.  Jack,"  he  said.  "  I'll  never — "  he  had  to  turn 
his  face  away.  <f  You  can't  do  no  better  than  your 
father." 

te  No,  indeed,"  Jacquelin  agreed  to  that.  All  he  wished 
was  to  do  just  what  his  father  had  done — He  was  not  well ; 
and  he  should  leave  the  management  of  the  place  to  Mr. 
Still,  just  as  his  father  had  done — at  least,  till  they  knew 
how  things  stood,  he  added. 

There  was  a  slight  return  of  a  look  which  had  been 
once  or  twice  in  Still's  downcast  eyes,  and  he  raised  them 
to  take  a  covert  glance  at  Jacquelin's  face.  Jacquelin, 
however,  did  not  see  it.  He  was  really  suffering  greatly 
from  his  wound ;  and  the  expression  he  caught  on  Still's 


70  BED   ROCK 

face  was  only  one  of  deep  concern.  He  asked  after  Still's 
family. 

Wash  had  gone  to  the  city  to  study  medicine,  Still  said. 

"  We  pore  folks  as  ain't  got  a  fine  plantation  like  this  has 
got  to  have  a  trade  or  something." 

Virgy  was  at  home  keeping  house  for  him.  She  was 
a  good  big  girl  now — "  most  grown  like  Miss  Blair,"  he 
added. 

There  was  a  slight  tone  in  the  manager's  voice  which 
somehow  grated  on  Jacquelin  a  little,  he  did  not  know 
why.  And  he  changed  the  subject  rather  shortly. 

Some  time  he  wished  to  talk  to  Mr.  Still  about  that  Deep- 
run  plantation  in  the  South,  he  said,  as  he  had  attended 
to  stocking  it  and  knew  more  about  it  than  anyone  else  ; 
but  he  did  not  think  he  was  equal  to  it  just  then.  Still 
agreed  that  this  was  right,  also  that  the  first  thing  for 
Jacquelin  to  do  now  was  to  take  care  of  himself  and  get 
well. 

Just  then  Andy  Stamper  came  round  the  house,  with  a 
bucket  in  one  hand  and  a  bunch  of  flowers  in  the  other. 
At  sight  of  Jacquelin  his  face  lit  up  with  pleasure.  Before 
Andy  could  nod  to  Hiram  the  latter  had  gone,  with  a 
queer  look  on  his  face,  and  something  not  unlike  a  slink 
in  his  gait. 

The  bucket  Andy  had  brought  was  full  of  eggs,  which 
Delia  Dove,  Andy  said,  had  sent  Jacquelin,  and  she  had 
sent  the  flowers  too. 

' ( I  never  see  anyone  like  her  for  chickens  an'  flowers," 
said  Andy.  "  She's  a  good  friend  o'  yours.  I  thought  when 
I  got  home  I  wa'n't  goin'  to  get  her  after  all.  I  thought 
she'd  V  sent  me  back  to  P'int  Lookout,"  he  laughed. 

His  expression  changed  after  a  moment. 

"  I  see  Hiram's  been  to  see  you — to  wish  you  well  ? 
Don't  know  what's  the  reason,  he  kind  o'  cuts  out  when- 
ever I  come  'roun'.  Looks  almost  like  he's  got  someV 
ag'inst  me  ;  yet  he  done  me  a  mighty  good  turn  when  1 
was  married ;  he  come  and  insisted  on  lendin'  me  some 


A  BROKEN"  SOLDIER  COMES   HOME  FROM  WAR      71 

money,  not  only  to  buy  a  horse  with  f er  the  ole  woman  : 
but  a  horse  to  go  back  in  th'  army  with — a  whole  basket- 
ful of  money,  and  he's  been  lendin'  all  aroun'  the  neigh- 
borhood ;  an'  don't  seem  to  be  in  no  hurry  to  git  it  back — 
If  you  jest  give  him  a  little  slip  o'  writin'  on  yo'  land, 
that's  all.  Yet,  somehow,  he  always  r'minds  me  of  a 
mink,  kind  of  slippy-like.  He  don't  do  things  all  at  once. 
He  didn't  tell  me  he  wanted  no  deed  ;  but  after  I  was 
gone,  he  got  one  from  the  old  lady — said  'twould  be  all 
right,  and  I  could  pay  him  any  time ;  he  jest  wanted  it 
in  case  he  died,  and  she  didn'  know  no  better  than  to  sign 
it.  I'm  goin'  to  pay  him  off,  first  money  I  git.  I  never 
would  V  borrowed  it  'cept  I  was  so  anxious  to  go  back  in 
the  army — an'  to  git  Delia.  Hiram  thought  he  was  sure 
to  win."  The  little  soldier's  face  always  lighted  up  when 
he  referred  to  his  wife. 

Jacquelin  protested  that  he  thought  Still  a  better  fellow 
than  Andy  would  admit,  and  added  that  his  father  had 
always  esteemed  him  highly. 

"  Yes,  I  know  that ;  but  the  Colonel  didn't  know  him, 
Mr.  Jack,  and  he  wasn't  lookin'  out  for  him.  I  don't  like 
a  man  I  can't  understand.  If  you  know  he's  a  liar,  you 
needn't  b'lieve  him ;  but  if  you  aint  found  him  out  yet,  he 
gets  aroun'  you.  Hiram  is  that  sort.  I  know  he  us't  to 
be  a  liar,  an'  I  don't  b'lieve  folks  recovers  from  that  dis- 
ease. So  I'm  goin'  to  pay  him  off.  An'  you  do  the  same. 
I  tell  you,  he's  a  schemer,  an'  he's  lookin'  up." 

Just  then  there  was  a  light  step  behind  them,  a  shadow 
fell  on  the  veranda,  which,  to  one  of  them,  at  least,  was 
followed  by  an  apparition  of  light — as,  with  a  smothered 
cry  of,  "Jacquelin!"  a  young  girl,  her  hair  blowing  about 
her  brow,  ran  forward,  and  as  the  wounded  soldier  rose, 
threw  her  arms  around  his  neck.  Blair  Cary  looked  like 
a  rose  as  she  drew  back  in  a  pretty  confusion,  her  blushes 
growing  deeper  every  moment. 

"Why,  Blair,  how  pretty  you've  grown!"  exclaimed 
Jacquelin,  thinking  only  of  her  beauty. 


72  BED  KOCK 

"  Well,  you  talk  as  if  you  were  very  much  surprised," 
and  Miss  Blair  bridled  with  pretended  indignation. 

"  Oh  !  No— Of  course,  not.     I  only " 

<f  Oh  !  yes,  you  do,"  and  she  tossed  her  pretty  head  with 
well-feigned  disdain.  "  You  are  as  bold  with  your  com- 
pliments as  you  were  with  your  sword." 

She  turned  from  him  to  Sergeant  Stamper,  who  was  re- 
garding her  with  open-mouthed  admiration. 

(( How  do  you  do,  Sergeant  Stamper  ?  How's  Delia  ? 
And  how  are  her  new  chickens  ?  Tell  her  she  isn't  to  keep 
on  sending  them  all  to  me.  I  am  going  to  learn  to  raise 
them  for  myself  now." 

"  I  daren't  tell  her  that/'  said  the  little  fellow.  "  You 
know  I  can't  do  nothin'  with  Delia  Dove.  You're  the  only 
one  can  do  that.  If  I  tell  her  that,  she'd  discharge  me, 
an'  sen'  me  'way  from  the  place." 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  she's  breaking  you  in  so  well,"  laughed 
Blair. 

In  a  short  time  all  the  soldiers  from  the  old  county  who 
were  left  were  back  at  home,  together  with  some  who  were 
not  originally  from  that  county,  but  who,  having  nowhere 
better  to  go,  and  no  means  to  go  with,  even  if  they  had 
had,  and  finding  themselves  stranded  by  the  receding  tide, 
pitched  their  tents  permanently  where  they  had  only  in- 
tended to  bivouac,  and  thus,  by  the  simple  process  of  stay- 
ing there,  became  permanent  residents. 

The  day  after  that  on  which  Jacqnelin  arrived,  General 
Legaie,  to  the  delight  of  old  Julius  and  of  such  other 
servants  as  yet  remained  on  his  place,  turned  up,  dusty, 
and  worn,  but  still  serene  and  undispirited.  He  marched 
into  his  dismantled  mansion  with  as  proud  a  step  as  when 
he  left  it,  and  took  possession  of  it  as  though  it  had  been 
a  castle.  With  him  was  an  officer  to  whom  the  General 
offered  the  hospitalities  of  the  house  as  though  it  had  been 
a  palace,  and  to  whom  he  paid  as  courtly  attention  as  if 
he  had  been  a  prince. 


A  BROKEN  SOLDIER  COMES  HOME  FROM   WAR     73 

"This  is  Julius,  Captain,  of  whom  I  have  spoken  to 
you,"  he  said,  after  he  had  shaken  hands  with  the  old  but- 
ler, and  with  the  score  of  other  negroes  who  had  rushed 
out  and  gathered  around  him  on  hearing  of  his  arrival. 
"  Julius  will  attend  to  you,  and  unless  he  has  lost  some  of 
his  art  you  will  confess  that  I  have  not  exaggerated  his 
abilities."  He  faced  his  guest  and  made  him  alow  bow. 
"  I  hope,  Captain,  you  will  consider  this  your  home  as 
long  as  you  wish.  Julius,  the  Captain  will  stay  with  us 
for  the  present,  and  I  suspect  he'd  like  a  julep."  And 
with  a  wave  of  the  hand  the  little  General  transferred  the 
responsibility  of  his  guest  to  the  old  butler,  who  stood 
bowing,  dividing  his  glances  between  those  of  affection 
for  his  master  and  of  shrewd  inspection  of  the  visitor. 

The  latter  was  a  tall,  spare  man,  rather  sallow  than 
dark,  but  with  a  piercing,  black  eye,  and  a  closely  shut 
mouth  under  a  long,  black,  drooping  mustache.  He  ac- 
knowledged the  General's  speech  with  a  civil  word,  and 
Julius's  bow  with  a  nod  and  a  look,  short  but  keen  and 
inquiring,  and  then,  flinging  himself  into  the  best  seat, 
leant  his  head  back  and  half  closed  his  eyes,  while  the  Gen- 
eral went  out  and  received  the  negroes,  who,  with  smiling 
faces,  were  still  gathering  on  the  news  of  his  arrival. 

During  'this  absence  the  guest  did  not  rise  from  his 
chair ;  but  turned  his  head  slowly  from  time  to  time,  until 
his  eyes  had  rested  on  every  article  in  the  field  of  his  vis- 
ion. He  might  have  been  making  an  appraisement. 

The  General,  in  fact,  did  not  know  any  more  of  his 
guest  than  Julius  knew.  He  had  come  on  him  only  that 
afternoon  at  a  fork  in  the  road,  resting,  stretched  out  on 
a  couple  of  fence-rails,  while  his  horse  nibbled  and  picked 
at  the  grass  and  leaves  near  by.  The  gray  uniform,  some- 
what fresher  than  those  the  General  was  accustomed  to, 
attracted  the  General's  attention,  and  when  Captain  Mc- 
Raffle,  as  the  stranger  called  himself,  asked  him  the  nearest 
way  to  Brutusville,  or  to  some  gentleman's  house,  the  Gen- 
eral at  once  invited  him  to  his  home.  He  had  heard,  he 


74  BED   ROCK 

stated,  that  a  company  of  Yankees  had  already  been  sent 
to  Brutusville  ;  but  he  could  show  him  the  way  to  a  house 
where  gentlemen  had  lived  in  the  past,  and  where,  if  he 
thought  he  would  pass  muster,  one  was  about  to  live 
again.  And  with  this  invitation  Captain  McRaffle  became 
an  inmate  of  Thornleigh,  as  the  General's  place  was  called, 
and  might  have  stayed  there  indefinitely  had  not  unfore- 
seen contingencies  caused  him  to  remove  his  quarters. 

Just  as  the  General  returned  from  his  reception  on  the 
veranda,  the  old  butler  entered  with  a  waiter  and  two  ju- 
leps sparkling  in  their  glasses.  At  sight  of  them  the  Gen- 
eral beamed,  and  even  the  guest's  cold  eyes  lit  up. 

"  On  my  soul !  he  is  the  most  remarkable  fellow  in  the 
world/' declared  the  General  to  his  visitor.  "Where  did 
you  get  this?" 

"  Well,  you  see,  suh/'  said  Julius,  "  de  Yankees  over 
yander  was  givin'  out  rations,  and  I  thought  I'd  git  a  few, 
so's  to  be  ready  for  you  'ginst  you  come." 

The  General  smiled  delightedly,  and  between  the  sips 
of  his  julep  proceeded  to  extract  from  Julius  all  the  news 
of  the  county  since  his  last  visit,  a  year  or  more  before, 
and  to  give  a  running  commentary  of  his  own  for  the  en- 
lightenment of  his  guest,  who,  it  must  be  said,  appeared 
not  quite  as  much  interested  in  it  all  as  he  might  have 
been. 

All  the  people  on  the  place,  Julius  said,  had  been  over 
to  the  court-house  already  to  see  the  soldiers,  but  most  of 
them  had  come  back.  He  had  been  there  himself  one  day, 
but  had  returned  the  same  evening,  as  he  would  not  leave 
the  place  unguarded  at  night. 

"  The  most  faithful  fellow  that  ever  was  on  earth  ;  he 
would  die  for  me ! "  asserted  the  General,  in  a  delighted 
aside  to  his  guest,  who  received  the  encomium  somewhat 
coldly,  and  on  the  first  opportunity  that  he  could  do  so 
unobserved,  gave  the  old  butler  another  of  those  looks 
that  appeared  like  a  flash  of  cold  steel. 

Dr.  Gary  had  been  down  the  day  before  to  inquire  after 


A  BROKEN  SOLDIER  COMES  HOME  FROM  WAR      75 

the  General.— "An  old  and  valued  friend  of  mine,  the 
greatest  surgeon  in  the  State — ought  to  have  been  made 
Surgeon-General  of  the  army/'  interpolated  the  General  to 
his  guest. 

The  Doctor  had  said  the  ladies  were  well,  and  were 
mighty  anxious  about  the  General— "  Yes,  sir,  Miss  Tho- 
masia  was  very  well,  indeed." 

"  Miss  Gray— a  very  old— I  mean— ah— dear  friend  of 
mine — sister  of  Colonel  Gray,"  the  General  explained  to 
his  guest.  "On  my  word,  I  believe  her  intuitions  are  in- 
fallible. I  never  knew  her  at  fault  in  her  estimate  of  a 
man  in  my  life." 

The  Doctor  had  left  word  asking  if  he  would  not  come 
up  to  dinner  next  day,  Julius  continued  : 

"  Bless  my  soul !  Of  course  I  will — and  I'll  take  you 
too,  Captain  ;  they  will  be  delighted  to  see  you — Most 
charming  people  in  the  world  !  " 

So  the  General  annotated  old  Julius's  bulletin,  gilding 
everyone  and  everything  with  the  gold  of  his  own  ingenu- 
ous heart. 

The—ah — soldiers  had  left  an  order  for  him  as  soon  as 
he  came,  to  come  to  the  court-house  to  swear  to  some- 
thing, said  Julius,  doubtfully. 

"  I'll  see  the  soldiers  d condemned  first ! "  bristled 

the  General.  "  I  shall  go  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  ladies 
at  Red  Rock  and  Birdwood  to-morrow — the  two  most 
beautiful  places  in  all  the  country,  sir."  This  to  Captain 
McRaffle,  who  received  even  this  stirring  information  with- 
out undue  warmth  ;  but  when  their  backs  were  turned,  in- 
spected again  both  the  General  and  old  Julius. 

Nex+,  morning  the  General  invited  his  guest  to  accom- 
pany him,  but  Captain  McRaffle  was  not  feeling  well,  he 
said,  and  he  thought  if  the  General  would  leave  him, 
he  would  remain  quiet.  Or,  perhaps,  if  he  felt  better,  he 
might  ride  over  to  the  county  seat  and  reconnoitre  a  little. 
He  always  liked  to  know  the  strength  of  the  force  before 
him. 


76  RED  BOCK 

"  A  most  excellent  rule/'  the  General  declared,  with  ad- 
miration. 

So  the  General,  having  given  the  Captain  one  of  the  two 
very  limp  shirts  which  "  the  though tfulness  of  a  dear  friend, 
Mrs.  Gary,  of  Bird  wood/'  had  provided  for  him,  arrayed 
himself  in  the  other  and  set  out  to  pay  his  respects  to  his 
friends  in  the  upper  end  of  the  county,  leaving  his  guest 
stretched  out  on  a  lounge. 

He  had  not  been  gone  long  when  the  Captain  ordered 
his  horse  and  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  the  court-house. 

On  arriving  at  the  county  seat  the  new-comer  rode 
straight  to  the  tavern,  and  dismounting,  gave  his  horse  to 
a  servant  and  walked  in.  As  he  entered  he  gave  one  of 
those  swift,  keen  glances,  and  then  asked  for  Mrs.  Witch er, 
the  landlady.  When  she  arrived,  a  languid,  delicate-look- 
ing woman,  the  Captain  was  all  graciousness,  and,  in  a 
few  moments,  Mrs.  Witcher  was  equally  complacent.  In 
fact,  the  new-comer  had  decided  on  the  first  glance  that 
this  was  good  enough  for  him,  at  least,  till  he  could  do 
better.  The  Captain  told  Mrs.  Witcher  that  he  had  not 
had  a  really  square  meal  in  two  months,  and  had  not  slept 
in  a  bed  in  six  months. 

"  A  floor,  madam,  or  a  table,  so  it  is  long  enough,  is 
all  I  desire.  Upon  my  word  and  honor  I  don't  think  I 
could  sleep  in  a  bed/' 

But  Mrs.  Witcher  insisted  that  he  should  try,  and  so 
the  Captain  condescended  to  make  the  experiment,  after 
giving  her  a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  his  extensive 
family  connection,  and  of  an  even  larger  circle  of  friends, 
which  included  the  commanding  Generals  of  all  the  armies 
and  everybody  else  of  note  in  the  country  besides. 

"  Well,  this  suits  me,"  he  said  as  he  walked  into  the 
room  assigned  him.  "  Jim,  who  occupied  this  room  last  ?" 
he  ::sked  the  darky — whose  name  happened  to  be  Paul. 

"  Well,  I  forgits  the  gent'man's  name,  he  died  in  dis 
room." 

"Did  he?    How?" 


A  BROKEN   SOLDIER  COMES  HOME  FROM   WAR     77 

"  Jes'  so,  suh.  He  died  right  in  dat  bed,  'caus  I  help' 
to  lay  him  out." 

"  Well,  maybe  Fll  die  in  it  myself.  See  that  the  sheets 
are  clean,  "  said  Captain  McEaffle,  composedly.  "  What 
are  you  standing  there  gaping  at  ?  Do  you  suppose  I 
mind  a  man's  dying?  Fve  killed  a  hundred  men." 


"Yes,  two  hundred  —  and  slept  in  a  coffin  myself  to 
boot."  And  the  Captain  turned  on  the  negro  so  dark  and 
saturnine  a  face  that  "  Jim  "  withdrew  in  a  hurry,  and 
ten  minutes  later  was  informing  the  other  negroes  that 
there  was  a  man  in  the  house  that  had  been  dead  and 
"  done  riz  agin." 

And  this  was  the  equipment  with  which  Captain  McRaf- 
fle  began  life  as  a  resident  of  Brutusville. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   CAKY   CONFERENCE 

THE  meeting  ac  Bird  wood  was  a  notable  occasion.  It 
was,  in  a  way,  the  outward  and  visible  sign  of  the  return 
of  peace.  Someone  said  it  looked  like  the  old  St.  Ann 
congregation  risen  from  the  dead,  to  which  Miss  Thomasia 
added,  that  the  gentlemen,  at  least,  were  now  all  immortal, 
and  the  General,  with  his  hand  on  his  heart,  gallantly  re- 
sponded that  the  ladies  had  always  been  so.  The  speech, 
however,  left  some  faces  grave,  for  there  were  a  number 
of  vacant  places  that  could  not  be  forgotten. 

Jacquelin,  under  the  excitement  of  his  arrival,  felt  him- 
self sufficiently  restored  and  stimulated  to  join  his  mother 
and  Aunt  Thomasia,  and  be  driven  over  to  Birdwood, 
and  though  he  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  condition  of 
the  roads,  yet  when  Blair  ran  forward  and  offered  her 
shoulder  for  "  his  other  crutch,"  he  felt  as  though  a  bad 
wound  might  after  all  have  some  compensations. 

Steve  Allen  was  the  life  of  the  company.  He  had  rid- 
den over  on  his  black  horse,  "Hot-Spur,"  that,  like  himself, 
had  been  wounded  several  times  in  the  last  campaigns, 
though  never  seriously.  He  spent  his  time  teasing  Blair. 
He  declared  that  Jacquelin  was  holding  on  to  his  crutch 
only  to  excite  sympathy,  and  that  his  own  greatest  cause 
for  hatred  of  the  Yankees  now  was  either  that  they  had 
not  shot  him  instead  of  Jack,  or  had  not  killed  Jack,  and 
he  offered  to  go  out  and  let  anyone  shoot  him  immediately 
for  one  single  pitying  glance  like  those  he  said  Blair  was 
lavishing  on  Jack. 

Jacquelin,  with  a  vivid  memory  of  the  morning  before, 

78 


THE  GARY   CONFERENCE  79 

had  meant  to  kiss  Blair  on  his  arrival,  yet  when  they  met 
he  was  seized  with  a  sudden  panic,  and  could  hardly  look 
into  her  eyes.  She  appeared  to  have  grown  taller  and 
older  since  yesterday,  as  well  as  prettier,  and  when  Steve, 
on  arriving,  insolently  caught  and  kissed  her  before  them 
all,  on  the  plea  of  cousinship,  Jacquelin  was  conscious  of 
a  pang  of  consuming  jealousy,  and  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  would  gladly  have  thrashed  Steve. 

There  was  one  thing  that  marred  the  occasion  somewhat, 
or  might  have  done  so  under  other  circumstances.  The 
entire  negro  population,  who  could  travel,  moved  by  some 
idea  that  the  arrival  of  the  Federal  soldiers  concerned 
them,  were  flocking  to  the  county  seat,  leaving  the  fields 
deserted  and  the  cabins  empty. 

The  visitors  had  found  the  roads  lined  with  them  as  they 
came  along.  They  were  all  civil,  but  >yhat  could  it  mean  ? 
Some  of  the  young  men,  like  Steve  and  Jacquelin,  were 
much  stirred  up  ahout  it,  and  talked  of  organizing  quietly 
so  as  to  be  ready  if  the  need  should  arise.  Dr.  Gary,  how- 
ever, and  the  older  ones,  opposed  anything  of  the  kind. 
Any  organization  whatever  would  be  viewed  with  great  sus- 
picion by  the  authorities,  and  might  be  regarded  as  a  breach 
of  their  parole,  and  was  not  needed.  They  were  already 
organized  simply  by  being  what  they  were.  And,  indeed, 
though  gaunt  and  weather-beaten,  in  their  old  worn  uni- 
forms they  were  a  martial-looking  set.  There  was  not  a  man 
there  who  had  not  looked  Death  in  the  eyes  many  a  time, 
and  the  stare  had  left  something  notable  in  every  face. 

It  was  a  lovely  day,  and  the  early  flowers  were  peeping 
out  as  if  to  be  sure  before  they  came  too  far  that  winter 
had  gone  for  good.  The  soft  haze  of  Spring  was  over  the 
landscape. 

The  one  person  who  was  wanting,  to  make  the  company 
complete,  was  the  little  General.  They  were  just  discuss- 
ing him,  and  were  wondering  if  he  had  gone  to  Mexico  ; 
and  Steve,  seated  at  Miss  Thomasia's  side,  was  teasing 
her  about  him,  declaring  that,  in  his  opinion,  it  was  a 


80  RED   ROCK 

pretty  widow,  whose  husband  had  been  in  the  General's 
brigade  and  had  been  shot,  that  the  General  had  gone 
South  after  ;  when  a  horseman  was  seen  riding  rapidly 
across  the  open  field  far  below,  taking  the  ditches  as  he 
came  to  them.  When  he  drew  nearer  he  was  recognized 
to  be  none  other  than  the  gallant  little  General  himself. 
As  he  came  trotting  across  the  lawn,  among  the  great  trees, 
he  presented  a  martial  figure,  and  handkerchiefs  were 
waved  to  him,  and  many  cheers  were  given,  so  that  he  was 
quite  overcome  when  he  dismounted  in  the  midst  of  a 
number  of  his  old  soldiers,  and  found  himself  literally 
taken  in  the  arms  of  both  the  men  and  the  ladies. 

The  General  beamed,  as  he  gazed  around  with  a  look 
that  showed  that  he  thought  life  might  still  be  worth  liv- 
ing if  only  he  could  meet  occasionally  such  a  reception  as 
had  just  been  given  him.  Others  smiled  too  ;  for  it  was 
known  that  the  General  had  been  an  almost  life-long  lov- 
er and  suitor  of  Miss  Thomasia  Gray,  whose  twenty  years' 
failure  to  smile  on  him  had  in  no  way  damped  his  ardor 
or  dimmed  his  hope.  In  fact,  the  old  soldier,  in  his  faded 
gray,  with  his  bronzed,  worn,  highbred  face,  was  nearer 
achieving  the  object  of  his  life  at  that  moment  than  he 
had  ever  been  in  the  whole  twenty  years  of  his  pursuit. 
Had  the  occasion  come  fifteen  or  even  ten  years  ear- 
lier, he  might  have  done  so  ;  but  Miss  Thomasia  had 
reached  the  point  when  to  marry  appeared  to  her  ridicu- 
lous, and  the  only  successful  rival  of  the  shaft  of  Cupid 
is  the  shaft  of  Ridicule. 

At  such  a  meeting  as  this  there  were  necessarily  many 
serious  things  to  be  considered.  One  was  the  question  of 
bread  ;  another  of  existence.  None  could  look  around 
on  the  wide,  deserted  fields  and  fail  to  take  in  this.  Every- 
thing like  civil  government  had  disappeared.  There  was 
not  a  civil  officer  left  in  the  State.  From  Governor  to 
justices  of  the  peace,  every  office  had  been  vacated.  The 
Birdwood  meeting  was  the  first  in  the  county  at  which 
was  had  any  discussion  of  a  plan  for  the  preservation  of 


THE   OAKY    CONFERENCE  81 

order.  Even  this  was  informal  and  unpremeditated  ;  but 
when  it  reached  the  ears  of  Colonel  Krafton,  the  new  com- 
mander of  that  district,  who  had  just  arrived,  it  had  taken 
on  quite  another  complexion,  and  the  "  Gary  Conference," 
as  it  came  to  be  called,  was  productive  of  some  very  far- 
reaching  consequences  to  certain  of  those  who  partici- 
pated in  it,  and  to  the  county  itself. 

As  to  some  matters  broached  at  Bird  wood  that  day, 
there  was  wide  diversity  of  opinion  among  those  present. 

Dr.  Gary  was  in  favor  of  accepting  the  issues  as  settled 
by  the  war  ;  of  making  friends  with  the  high  authorities — 
as  had  already  been  done  by  some  in  other  parts  of  the 
State,  and  of  other  States. 

"  Never  !  never  !  "  declared  General  Legaie,  with  whom 
were  most  of  the  others.  "  They  have  done  their  worst ; 
they  have  invaded  us,  and  taken  our  negroes  from  us. 
Let  them  bear  the  responsibilities  they  have  assumed." 

It  was  easy  to  see,  from  the  enthusiasm  which  greeted 
the  General,  on  which  side  the  sympathy  lay. 

"The  worst!  General  Legaie?"  exclaimed  Dr.  Gary. 
"  The  worst  will  be  coming  for  years.  ( After  the  sword 
comes  the  canker  worm/  Mark  my  words  :  the  first  terms 
offered  are  always  the  best.  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  you  were  to  live  to  see  negroes  invested  with  the  elec- 
tive franchise." 

"  Impossible  !  Preposterous  !  Incredible  ! "  declared 
General  Legaie,  his  words  being  echoed  by  most  of  those 
present. 

"It  seems  almost  impossible  and  quite  incredible,  yet 
to  an  old  man  many  things  appear  possible  that  are  in- 
credible," said  Dr.  Gary. 

"  We  will  die  before  such  an  infamy  should  be  perpe- 
trated !  "  protested  General  Legaie,  with  spirit. 

"  The  only  trouble  is,  that  dying  would  do  no  good  ; 
only  those  who  know  how  to  live  can  now  save  the  Coun- 
try," said  the  Doctor,  gravely. 

The  old  Whig  looked  so  earnest — so  imposing,  as  he 
6 


82  RED   KOCK 

stood,  tall  and  white,  his  eyes  flashing  under  their  beetling 
brows,  that  though,  perhaps,  few  agreed  with  him,  all 
were  impressed,  and  by  a  common  and  tacit  consent  their 
position  was  not  pressed,  at  least  for  the  present.  The 
little  General  even  agreed  to  accompany  Dr.  Gary  at  some 
near  date,  to  give  his  views,  along  with  Dr.  Gary's,  to  the 
new  Commander  of  the  district,  Colonel  Krafton,  in  order, 
the  General  stated,  that  the  Commander  might  understand 
precisely  the  attitude  of  all  persons  in  their  county. 

Steve  Allen,  and  the  other  young  soldiers  who  were 
there,  found  themselves  sufficiently  entertained,  fighting 
over  their  battles,  as  though  they  had  been  the  commanding 
generals,  and  laying  off  new  campaigns  in  a  fresh  and  dif- 
ferent field  ;  meantime,  getting  their  hands  in,  adoring 
and  teasing  their  young  hostess,  who  was  related  to,  or  con- 
nected with,  most  of  them.  They  had  left  Blair  Gary,  a 
dimple-faced,  tangle-haired  romp  of  thirteen  or  fourteen, 
with  saucy  eyes,  which  even  then,  as  they  danced  behind 
their  dark  lashes,  promised  the  best  substitute  for  beauty. 
They  now  found  her  sprung  up  to  a  slender  young  lady  of 
"quite  seventeen/'  whose  demureness  and  new-born  dig- 
nity were  the  more  bewitching,  because  they  were  belied  by 
her  laughing  glances.  Mars  has  ever  been  the  captive  of 
Venus  as  well  as  her  conqueror,  and  more  than  Steve  Al- 
len and  Jacquelin  Gray  fell  victims  at  the  first  fire  from 
those  "deadly  batteries,"  as  Steve  afterward  characterized 
Blair  Gary's  eyes,  in  his  first  poem  to  Belinda — published 
in  the  Brutusville  Guardian.  But  they  all  declared 
they  saw  at  once  that  they  stood  no  chance  with  Jack 
Gray,  whose  face  wore  "  that  sickly  look,"  as  Steve  called 
it,  which,  he  said,  "  every  woman  thought  interesting  and 
none  could  resist. "  Over  all  of  which  nonsense,  Miss 
Blair's  dark  eyes  twinkled  with  the  pleasure  of  a  girl  who 
is  too  young  to  comprehend  it  quite  fully,  but  yet  finds  it 
wonderfully  delightful.  As  for  Jacquelin,  to  him  she  was 
no  longer  mortal :  he  had  robed  her  in  radiance  and  lifted 
her  among  the  stars. 


THE   CARY   CONFERENCE  83 

The  older  people  found  not  less  pleasure  in  the  reunion 
than  their  juniors,  and  appeared  to  have  grown  young  again. 
And  while  the  youngsters  were  out  on  the  grass  at  Miss 
Blair's  feet,  in  more  senses  than  one,  the  General  and  Dr. 
Gary  and  the  other  seniors  were  on  the  vine-covered  portico, 
discussing  grave  questions  of  state-craft,  showing  precisely 
how  and  when  the  Confederacy  might  have  been  saved  and 
made  the  greatest  power  on  earth — together  with  other 
serious  matters.  The  General  teased  himself  as  of  old 
about  Miss  Thomasia,  and  the  Doctor  teased  them  both. 
The  General  had  been  noted  formerly  as  a  great  precision- 
ist  in  matters  of  dress,  as  well  as  in  all  other  matters,  and 
now,  when  he  stalked  about  the  veranda,  with  his  old 
uniform-coat  buttoned  to  the  chin  as  jauntily  as  ever,  and 
with  a  limp  bit  of  white  showing  above  the  collar  and  at 
the  wrists,  in  which  he  evidently  took  much  pride,  the 
Doctor,  who  knew  where  the  shirt  came  from,  and  that, 
like  the  one  which  he  himself  had  on,  it  was  made 
from  an  under-garment  of  one  of  the  ladies,  could  not 
help  rallying  him  a  little.  The  Doctor  wisely  took  ad- 
vantage of  Mrs.  Gary's  absence  from  the  room  to  do  this, 
but  had  got  no  farther  than  to  congratulate  the  General 
on  the  luxury  of  fresh  linen  and  to  receive  from  him  the 
gallant  assurance  that  he  had  felt  on  putting  it  on  that 
morning,  as  a  knight  of  old  might  have  felt  when  he 
donned  his  armor  prepared  by  virgin  hands,  when  Mrs. 
Gary  entered  and,  recognizing  instantly  from  her  husband's 
look  of  suspicious  innocence  and  Miss  Thomasia's  expres- 
sion, that  some  mischief  was  going  on,  pounced  on  him 
promptly  and  bore  him  off.  When  he  returned  from  the 
"judgment  chamber/' as  he  called  it,  he  was  under  a 
solemn  pledge  not  to  open  the  subject  again  to  the  Gen- 
eral, which  he  observed  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  though 
he  kept  Miss  Thomasia  on  thorns,  by  coming  as  near  to  it  as 
he  dared  with  a  due  regard  to  himself  in  view  of  his  wife's 
watchfulness. 

In  fact,  these  men  were  thoroughly  enjoying  homo  life 


84  BED   ROCK 

after  the  long  interval  of  hardship  and  deprivation,  and 
neither  the  sorrow  of  the  past  nor  the  gloom  of  the  pres- 
ent could  wholly  depress  them.  The  future,  fortunately, 
they  could  not  know.  Then,  among  young  people  there 
must  he  joy,  if  there  be  not  death  ;  and  fun  is  as  natural  as 
grass  or  flowers  in  spring  or  any  other  outbudding  of  a  new 
and  bounding  life. 

So,  even  amid  the  rains,  the  flowers  bloomed  and  there 
were  fun  and  gayety.  Hope  was  easily  worth  all  the  other 
spirits  in  Pandora's  box  put  together. 

Before  the  company  separated  they  began  to  talk  even 
of  a  party,  and,  to  meet  the  objections  of  old  Mr.  Lang- 
staff  and  some  others,  it  was  agreed  that  it  should  be  a 
contribution-entertainment  and  that  the  proceeds  should 
go  to  the  wounded  soldiers  and  soldiers'  widows,  of  the 
county.  This  Steve  declared  was  a  deep-laid  scheme  on 
the  part  of  Jacquelin  Gray.  It  was  already  decided  on 
when  the  Doctor  returned  to  the  sitting-room,  after  Mrs. 
Gary  had  summoned  him  thence,  and  the  question  under 
advisement  was  whether  the  Yankee  officers  at  the  court- 
house should  be  invited.  Steve  Allen  had  started  it. 
The  ladies  were  a  unit. 

' '  No,  indeed ;  not  one  of  them  should  set  his  foot  inside 
the  door  ;  not  a  girl  would  dance  with  one  of  them/'  On 
this  point  Miss  Blair  was  very  emphatic,  and  her  laughing 
eyes  lost  their  gleam  of  sunlight  and  flashed  forth  a  sud- 
den spark  which  showed  deeper  depths  behind  those  dark 
lashes  than  had  appeared  at  any  time  before. 

"I'll  bet  you  do,"  said  Steve.  He  stretched  out  his 
long  legs,  settled  himself,  and  looked  at  Blair  with  that 
patronizing  air  which  always  exasperated  her. 

"  Til  bet  I  don't  ! " — with  her  head  up,  and  her  color 
deepening  a  little  at  the  bravado  of  using  such  a  word. 

"Til  bet  my  horse  you'll  break  a  set  with  Jack  for 
the  Yankee  captain,"  declared  Steve. 

"  Don't  want  your  old  horse,  he's  too  full  of  lead/'  said 
Blair. 


THE   CART   CONFERENCE  85 

"  Then  111  bet  you  his  horse." 

"  It's  a  good  one/'  said  Jacquelin  from  his  place  on  the 
lounge.  "  Blood-bay,  with  three  white  feet  and  a  blaze  on 
his  nose." 

"  He's  mine/'  asserted  Steve  with  a  nod  of  his  head. 

"  How  will  you  get  it  ?  "  asked  Blair. 

"Steve  knows  several  ways  of  getting  horses/' laughed 
one  of  the  other  young  men. 

"  Shut  up,  you  fool,"  telegraphed  Steve  with  his  lips, 
glancing  quickly  at  Miss  Thomasia,  who  was  beaming  on 
him  with  kindly  eyes. 

It  is  surprising  what  little  things  have  influence.  That 
sudden  flash,  with  the  firmer  lines  which  came  for  a  sec- 
ond in  the  young  girl's  face,  did  more  to  bind  the  young 
men  to  her  footstool  than  all  the  fun  and  gayety  she  had 
shown. 

The  men  were  not  so  unanimous  on  the  point  touching 
the  exclusion  of  the  officers.  Most  of  them  agreed  with 
the  ladies,  but  one  or  two  were  inclined  to  the  other  side. 

"  Men  like  to  fancy  themselves  broader  and  more  judi- 
cial than  women,"  said  Miss  Thomasia,  placidly. 

Jacquelin  mentioned  casually  that  Middleton  was  not 
only  quite  a  gentlemanly  fellow,  but  a  strikingly  handsome 
one. 

"A  Yankee  soldier  good-looking!  I'll  not  believe 
that  ! "  declared  Miss  Blair,  promptly. 

This  debate  created  a  diversion  in  their  favor,  and  it 
was  suggested  and  agreed  to,  as  a  compromise,  that  they 
should  "wait  until  after  a  St.  Ann  Sunday,  and  see  what 
the  officers  looked  like.  No  doubt  some  of  them  would 
come  to  church,  and  then  they  could  determine  what  they 
would  do." 

This  idea  was  feminine,  and,  to  offset  it,  it  was  re-de- 
clared that  at  present  they  were  "unanimously  opposed 
to  regarding  them  in  any  other  light  than  that  of  bitter 


CHAPTER  VIII 

ME.    HIRAM   STILL    TELLS    HOW   TO    BRIDLE   A   SHY    HORSE, 
AND   CAPTAIN   ALLEN   LAYS   DOWN   HIS    HOE 

So  Peace  spread  her  white  wings,  extending  her  serenity 
and  shedding  her  sweetness  even  in  those  regions  where 
war  had  passed  along. 

Without  wasting  time  or  repining  about  the  past,  Dr. 
Gary  and  General  Legaie  and  the  other  men  began  to  pick 
up  such  of  the  tangled  and  broken  threads  of  the  old  life 
as  could  be  found,  and  to  form  with  them  the  new.  They 
mended  the  worn  vehicles,  patched  up  the  old  harness  and 
gear,  broke  their  war-horses  to  drive,  and  set  in  to  live 
bravely  and  cheerfully,  in  as  nearly  the  old  manner  as  they 
could.  They  had,  they  believed,  made  the  greatest  fight 
on  record.  They  had  not  only  maintained,  but  had  in- 
creased, the  renown  of  their  race  for  military  achievement 
— the  reputation  which  they  most  highly  valued.  They 
had  been  overwhelmed,  not  whipped  ;  cast  down,  but  not 
destroyed.  They  still  had  the  old  spirit,  the  unconquer- 
able spirit  of  their  race,  and,  above  all,  they  had  the  South. 

Dr.  Gary  determined  to  use  every  effort  to  restore  at 
once  the  old  state  of  affairs,  and,  to  this  end,  to  offer 
homes  and  employment  to  all  his  old  servants. 

Accordingly,  he  rode  down  to  the  county  seat  one  day 
to  have  an  interview  with  the  officers  there.  He  went 
alone,  because  he  did  not  know  precisely  how  he  would  be 
received,  and,  besides,  there  was  by  no  means  general  ap- 
proval of  his  course  among  his  friends. 

He  found  that  the  ranking  officer,  Captain  Middleton, 
had  been  summoned  that  morning  to  the  city  by  Colonel 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  LAYS  DOWN  HIS  HOE     87 

Krafton,  the  provost  in  command  there.  The  next  in  com- 
mand, however,  Lieutenant  Thurston,  was  very  civil  and 
obliging  to  the  Doctor,  and,  on  learning  of  his  plans,  took 
steps  to  further  them. 

The  officer  summoned  all  the  negroes  who  were  hanging 
around  the  village,  to  assemble  on  the  court-green,  told 
them  of  the  Doctor's  offer,  and,  after  a  short  talk  to  them, 
ordered  all  the  Doctor's  old  servants  who  were  present,  and 
had  not  secured  employment  elsewhere,  to  return  home 
and  go  to  work  on  the  wages  he  had  agreed  the  Doctor 
should  pay.  For,  as  he  said  to  Middleton  when  he  re- 
turned : 

"  By  Gad  !  Larry,  I  was  not  sure  whether  I  was  talking 
to  Don  Quixote  or  old  Dr.  Filgrave — I  know  he  is  cousin 
to  them  both,  for  he  told  me  so — he  is  a  cousin  to  everybody 
in  the  United  States.  And,  besides,  I  was  so  bored  with 
those  niggers  hanging  around,  looking  pitiful,  and  that 
tall,  whispering  fellow,  Still,  who  tells  about  the  way  he 
had  to  act  during  the  war  to  keep  the  people  from  knowing 
he  was  on  our  side,  that  I  would  have  ordered  every  nigger 
in  the  country  to  go  with  the  old  gentleman  if  he  had 
wanted  them.  By  the  way,  he  is  the  father  of  the  girl 
they  say  is  so  devilishly  pretty,  and  he  asked  after  you 
most  particularly.  Ah  !  Larry,  I  am  a  diplomat.  I  have 
missed  my  calling."  And,  as  he  looked  at  his  tall,  good- 
looking  superior,  the  little  Lieutenant's  eyes  twinkled 
above  the  bowl  of  his  pipe,  which  was  much  the  shape  of 
himself. 

The  engagement  to  furnish  his  negroes  rations  Dr. 
Gary  was  enabled  to  make,  because  on  his  arrival  at  the 
county  seat  he  had  fallen  in  with  Hiram  Still,  who  had  of- 
fered to  lend  him  a  sum  of  money,  which  he  said  he  hap- 
pened to  have  by  him.  Hiram  had  been  down  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance,  he  told  the  Doctor. 

"  I  been  wonderin*  to  myself  what  I  was  to  do  with  that 
money — and  what  I  turned  all  them  Confed.  notes  into 
gold  and  greenbacks  for,"  he  said.  "  Fact  is,  I  thought 


88  RED   ROCK 

myself  a  plum  fool  for  doin'  it  ;  but  I  says,  '  Well,  gold's 
gold,  whichever  way  it  goes/  So  I  either  bought  land  or 
gold.  But 't  does  look 's  if  Providence  had  somethin'  to  do 
with  it,  sure  'nough.  I  ain't  got  a  bit  o'  use  for  it — you 
can  take  it  and  pay  me  just  when  it's  convenient." 

Still  had  never  been  a  favorite  with  Dr.  Gary,  though 
the  latter  confessed  that  he  could  cite  no  positive  ground 
for  his  dislike.  When  he  thought  of  his  antipathy  at  all, 
he  always  traced  it  back  to  two  things — one  that  Legaie 
always  disliked  .Still,  the  other  that  when  Still  had  his 
attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war,  the  symptoms  were  such  as  to  baffle  the  Doctor's 
science.  "  That's  a  pretty  ground  for  a  reasonable  man  to 
found  an  antipathy  on,"  reflected  the  Doctor. 

As  the  Doctor  and  Hiram  rode  back  together  toward 
home,  Still  was  so  bitter  in  his  denunciation  of  the  Fed- 
erals and  of  their  action  touching  the  negroes,  that  the 
Doctor  actually  felt  it  his  duty  to  lecture  him.  They  were 
all  one  country  now,  he  said,  and  they  should  accept  the 
result  as  determined.  But  Still  said,  "  Never  ! "  He  had 
only  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance,  he  declared,  because  he 
had  heard  he  would  be  arrested  unless  he  did.  But  he 
had  taken  it  with  a  mental  reservation.  This  shocked 
the  Doctor  so  much  that  he  rebuked  him  with  sternness, 
on  which  Still  explained  that  he  did  not  mean  exactly  that, 
but  that  he  had  heard  that  if  a  man  took  an  oath  under 
threats  he  was  absolved  from  it. 

"  There  was  some  such  legal  quibble,"  the  Doctor  ad- 
mitted, with  a  sniff,  but  he  was  "  very  sure  that  no  brave 
man  would  ever  take  an  oath  for  such  a  reason,  and  no 
honest  one  would  ever  break  one."  He  rode  off  with  his 
head  very  high. 

When  Still  reached  home  that  evening  he  was  in  un- 
commonly good  spirits.  He  was  pleasanter  than  usual  to 
his  daughter,  who  appeared  the  plainer  because  of  the  con- 
trast that  her  shabby  clothes  presented  to  the  showy  suit 
which  her  brother  wore.  It  was  to  his  son,  however,  that 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN    LAYS   DOWN    HIS   HOE  »y 

Mr.  Still  showed  his  particular  good-humor.  "Wash  had  just 
come  home  for  a  little  visit  from  the  city,  where  he  had 
been  ever  since  his  return  from  the  army,  and  where  he 
was  now  studying  medicine.  He  was  a  tall,  slim  fellow, 
very  much  like  his  father  in  appearance,  though  in  place 
of  the  rather  good-tempered  expression  which  usually  sat 
on  the  latter's  face,  Wash's  look  was  usually  sour  and  dis- 
contented. 

"  Ah,  Wash,  my  son,  I  did  a  good  stroke  of  business  for 
you  to-day,"  said  the  father  that  evening  at  supper. 

"What  was  it  ?  Did  you  buy  another  farm  ?  You'll 
break,  buying  so  much  land/'  replied  his  son,  pleasantly. 

Still  put  aside  the  ungraciousness  of  the  reply.  He  was 
accustomed  to  his  son's  slurs. 

"  Yes  and  no."  He  winked  at  Virgy,  to  whom  he  had 
already  confided  something  of  his  stroke  of  business.  He 
glanced  at  the  door  to  see  that  no  one  was  listening,  and 
dropped  his  voice  to  his  confidential  pitch.  "I  lent 
the  Doctor  a  leetle  money."  He  nodded  with  satisfaction. 

Wash  became  interested  ;  but  the  next  instant  attempt- 
ed to  appear  indifferent. 

' '  How  much  ?     What  security  did  he  give  ?  " 

"  More  than  he'll  be  able  to  pay  for  some  time,  and  the 
security's  all  right.  AhaJ  I  thought  that  would  wake 
you  up.  I'll  lend  him  some  more  one  of  these  days  and 
then  we'll  get  the  pay — with  interest."  He  winked  at  his 
son  knowingly.  "  When  you're  tryin'  to  ketch  a  shy  horse, 
don't  show  him  the  bridle  ;  when  you've  got  him,  then —  ! " 
He  made  a  gesture  of  slipping  on  a  halter.  This  piece 
of  philosophy  appeared  to  satisfy  the  young  man  and 
to  atone  for  the  apparent  unwisdom  of  his  father's  ac- 
tion. He  got  into  such  a  good-humor  that  he  began  to 
talk  pleasantly  with  his  sister  and  to  ask  her  about  the 
young  men  in  the  neighborhood. 

It  was  striking  to  see  how  she  changed  at  the  notice  her 
brother  took  of  her.  The  listless  look  disappeared,  and  her 
eyes  brightened  and  made  her  face  appear  really  interesting. 


90  RED   KOCK 

Presently  the  young  man  said  : 

"  How's  Lord  Jacquelin  ?  "  At  the  unexpected  ques- 
tion the  blood  mounted  to  the  girl's  face,  and  after  an 
appealing  look  she  dropped  her  eyes  quickly. 

"When  the  end  of  the  month  came,  Dr.  Gary  summoned 
his  hands  and  paid  them  their  wages  one  by  one,  according 
to  his  contract  with  Thurston,  checking  each  name,  as  he 
paid  them,  on  a  pay-roll  he  had  prepared.  Their  reception 
of  the  payment  varied  with  the  spirit  of  the  men  ;  some 
being  gay  and  facetious  ;  others  taking  it  with  exaggerated 
gravity.  It  was  the  first  time  they  had  ever  received  stip- 
ulated wages  for  their  services,  and  it  was  an  event. 

The  Doctor  was  well  satisfied  with  the  result,  and  went 
in  to  make  the  same  settlement  with  the  house-servants. 
The  first  he  met  was  Mammy  Krenda,  and  he  handed  her 
the  amount  he  had  agreed  on  with  Thurston  as  a  woman's 
wages.  The  old  woman  took  it  quietly.  This  was  a 
relief.  Mrs.  Gary  had  been  opposed  to  his  paying  her 
anything ;  she  had  felt  sure  that  the  mammy  would  feel 
offended.  "  Why,  she  is  a  member  of  the  family,"  she 
said.  "We  can't  pay  her  wages."  The  Doctor,  how- 
ever, deemed  himself  bound  by  his  engagement  with 
Thurston.  He  had  said  he  would  pay  all  wages,  and  he 
would  do  so.  So  when  the  mammy  took  the  money  with 
her  usual  curtsey,  in  one  way  the  Doctor's  spirits  rose, 
though  he  was  conscious  of  a  little  tug  at  his  heart,  as  if 
the  old  ties  had  somehow  been  loosened.  He  rallied,  how- 
ever, at  the  reflection  that  he  could  satisfy  his  wife,  at  last, 
that  he  knew  human  nature  more  profoundly  than  she 
did— a  doctrine  he  had  secretly  cherished,  but  had  never 
been  entirely  successful  in  establishing. 

In  this  satisfactory  state  of  mind,  not  wishing  to  sever 
entirely  the  tie  with  the  mammy,  as  the  old  woman  still 
stood  waiting,  he,  after  a  moment,  said  kindly  and  with 
great  dignity  : 

"  Those  are  your  wages,  mammy." 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   LAYS   DOWN  HIS   HOE  Ul 

"  My  what,  sir  ?  "  The  Doctor  was  conscious  of  a  cer- 
tain chilling  of  the  atmosphere.  He  looked  out  of  the 
window  to  avoid  her  gaze. 

"Your  wages — I— ah — have  determined— I— think  it 
better  from  this  time  to — ah — ."  He  had  no  idea  it  was 
so  difficult.  Why  had  he  not  got  Mrs.  Gary  to  attend  to 
this— why  had  he,  indeed,  not  taken  her  advice  ?  Pshaw  ! — 
He  had  to  face  the  facts  ;  so  he  would  do  it.  He  sum- 
moned courage  and  turned  and  looked  at  the  old  woman. 
She  was  in  the  act  of  putting  the  money  carefully  on  the 
corner  of  the  table  by  her,  and  if  the  Doctor  had  difficulty 
in  meeting  her  gaze,  she  had  none  in  looking  at  him. 
Her  eyes  were  fastened  on  him  like  two  little  shining 
beads.  They  stuck  him  like  pins.  The  Doctor  felt  as  he 
used  to  feel  when  a  young  man  he  went  to  pay  his  ad- 
dresses to  his  wife — he  was  conscious  that  whenever  he 
met  Krenda  she  was  inspecting  him,  searching  his  inmost 
soul — looking  through  and  through  him.  He  had  to  as- 
sert himself. 

"  You  see,  I  promised  the  Federal  officer  at  the  court- 
house to  pay  everyone  wages,"  he  began  with  an  effort, 
looking  at  the  old  woman. 

"  How  much  does  you  pay  Miss  Bessie  9  " 

"How  much  what?" 

"  Wages."  He  had  no  idea  one  word  could  convey  so 
much  contempt. 

"  Why,  nothing — of  course " 

Old  Krenda  lifted  her  head. 

"  Fm  gwine  'way." 

"What!" 

"Fm  feared  you'll  charge  me  bode!"  She  had  ex- 
panded. "  I  ken  git  a  little  house  somewheres,  I  reckon 
— or  I  ken  go  to  th'  city  and  nuss — chillun." 

"  Mammy — you  don't  understand —  "  The  Doctor  was 
never  in  such  a  dilemma.  If  his  wife  would  only  come 
in  !  What  a  fool  he  was,  not  to  have  known  that  his  wife 
knew  more  about  it  than  he  did. 


92  BED    ROCK 

"  Won't  you  accept  the  money  as  a  gift  from  me  ?"  he 
said  at  last,  desperately. 

"Nor — I  ain'  gwine  fetch  it ! "  The  gesture  was  even 
more  final  than  the  tone.  With  a  sniff,  she  turned  and 
walked  out,  leaving  the  Doctor  feeling  like  a  school-boy. 

He  rose  after  a  few  minutes  and  went  to  his  wife's  room 
to  get  her  to  make  his  peace.  The  door  was  shut,  but  he 
opened  it.  The  scene  within  was  one  that  remained  with 
him  through  life.  His1  wife  was  weeping,  and  the  mammy 
and  Blair  were  in  each  other's  arms.  The  only  words  he 
heard  were  from  the  mammy. 

"  Ef  jest  my  ole  marster  could  come  back.  He'd  know 
I  didn'  do  it  for  no  wages." 

1 '  Oh  !  mammy,  he  knows  it  too  ! n 

The  Doctor  was  never  conscious  of  being  so  much  alone 
in  his  life,  and  it  took  some  time  to  make  his  peace. 

In  the  same  way  that  the  old  planters  and  landowners 
set  in  to  restore  the  old  places,  the  younger  men  also  went 
to  work.  Necessity  is  a  good  spur  and  pride  is  another. 

Stamper,  with  Delia  Dove  "for  overseer,"  as  he  said, 
was  already  beginning  to  make  an  impression  on  his  little 
place.  As  he  had  "  kept  her  from  having  an  overseer,"  he 
said,  the  best  thing  he  could  do  was  to  "let  her  be  one." 

"Talk  about  th'  slaves  bein'  free,  Mr.  Jack  !  they  won't 
all  be  free  long's  Delia  Dove's  got  me  on  her  place."  The 
little  Sergeant's  chuckle  showed  how  truly  he  enjoyed  that 
servitude.  "  She  owns  me,  but  she  treats  me  well,"  he 
laughed. 

The  Stamper  place,  amid  its  locusts  and  apple-trees,  with 
its  hipped  roof  and  dormer-windows,  small  as  it  was,  was 
as  old  as  Bed  Eock — at  least  as  the  new  mansion,  with  its 
imposing  porticoes  and  extended  wings,  built  around  the 
big  fireplace  of  the  old  house — and  little  Andy,  though  be- 
ing somewhat  taciturn  he  never  said  anything  about  it, 
was  as  proud  of  this  fact  as  he  was  of  being  himself  rather 
than  Hiram  Still.  He  had  got  an  old  army  wagon  from 
somewhere  and  was  now  beginning  his  farming  opera- 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  LAYS   DOWN   HIS   HOE  93 

tions  in  earnest.  It  had  had  "IT.  S."  on  it,  but  though 
Andy  insisted  that  the  letters  stood  for  "  US/'  not  for  the 
United  States,  Delia  Dove  had  declined  to  ride  in  the  vehicle 
as  long  as  it  had  such  characters  stamped  on  it.  As  Mrs. 
Stamper  was  obdurate,  Andy  finally  was  forced  to  save  her 
sensibilities,  which  he  did  by  substituting  "  D  "  for  "U." 
This,  he  said,  would  stand  either  for  "  Delia  Stamper,"  or 
«D— d  States." 

Jacquelin  Gray  was  almost  the  only  one  of  the  men  who 
was  not  able  to  go  to  work.  His  wound  showed  a  tendency 
to  break  out  afresh. 

Steve  Allen  intended  to  practise  law  as  soon  as  matters 
settled  themselves.  As  yet,  however,  he  could  not  engage 
in  any  profession.  He  had  not  yet  determined  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance.  Meantime,,  to  the  great  happiness  of 
his  cousins,  especially  of  Miss  Thomasia,  he  deferred  go- 
ing to  the  county  seat  and,  moved  by  the  grassy  appear- 
ance of  the  once  beautifully  cultivated  fields  of  Red  Rock, 
began  farming.  Perhaps,  it  was  sheer  pride  and  dislike  of 
meeting  Middleton  at  the  court-house  under  circumstances 
so  different  from  those  under  which  they  had  met  last ; 
perhaps  it  was  the  pleasure  of  being  near  Birdwood  that 
kept  him.  It  was  very  pleasant  when  his  day's  work  was 
done,  to  don  his  old  gray  jacket,  play  gentleman  once 
more,  and  ride  across  the  river  of  an  evening ;  lounge  on 
the  grass  under  the  big  trees  at  Birdwood,  and  tease  Blair 
Gary  about  Jacquelin,  until  her  eyes  flashed,  and  she  let  out 
at  him,  as  he  used  to  say,  "  like  a  newly  bridled  filly." 
So  he  hitched  his  war-horses,  Hotspur  and  Kate,  to  ploughs 
and  ploughed  day  by  day,  while  he  made  his  boy,  Jerry, 
plough  furrow  for  furrow  near  him,  under  promise  of  half 
of  his  share  of  their  crop  if  he  kept  up,  and  of  the  worst 
"  lambing  "  he  had  ever  had  in  his  life  if  he  did  not.  Jerry 
was  a  long,  slim,  young  negro,  as  black  as  tar.  He  was  the 
grandson  of  old  Peggy,  Steve's  mammy,  and  had  come 
from  the  far  South.  Where  Steve  had  got  him  during  the 
war  no  one  knew  except  Steve  and  Jerry  themseiTes. 


94  RED  KOCK 

Steve  said  he  found  him  hanging  to  a  tree  and  cnt  him 
down  because  he  wanted  the  rope  ;  but  that  if  he  had 
known  Jerry  as  well  then  as  he  did  afterward,  he  would 
have  left  him  hanging.  At  this  explanation,  Jerry  always 
grinned,  exhibiting  two  rows  of  white  teeth  which  looked 
like  corn  from  a  full  ear.  Jerry  was  a  drunkard,  a  liar, 
and  a  thief.  But  one  thing  was  certain  :  he  adored  Steve, 
who  in  return  for  that  virtue  bore  delinquencies  which  no 
one  else  in  the  world  would  have  tolerated.  Jerry  had  one 
other  trait  which  recommended  him  to  his  master  :  he  was 
as  brave  as  a  lion  ;  he  would  not  have  been  afraid  of  the  devil 
himself  unless  he  had  taken  on  the  shape  of  Mr.  Steven- 
son Allen,  of  whom  alone  Jerry  stood  in  wholesome  awe. 

Steve's  bucolic  operations  came  somewhat  suddenly  to  an 
end.  One  evening,  after  a  hard  day's  work,  he  met  Wash 
Still  dressed  up  and  driving  a  new  buggy,  turning  in  at 
Dr.  Gary's  gate.  He  was  ' '  going  to  consult  Dr.  Gary  about 
a  case,"  he  said.  Next  day,  as  Steve  was  working  in  the 
field,  he  saw  Wash  driving  down  the  hill  from  the  man- 
ager's house  with  the  same  well-appointed  rig.  Steve 
stopped  in  the  row  and  looked  at  him  as  he  drove  past. 
Just  then  Jerry  came  up.  His  eye  followed  his  master's, 
and  his  face  took  on  an  expression  of  scorn. 

"Umph!  things  is  tunned  sort  o'  upside  down,"  he 
grunted.  "  Overseer's  son  drivin'  buggy,  and  gent'mens  in 
de  fiel'."  Steve  smiled  at  Jerry's  use  of  the  plural.  The 
next  moment  Hiram  Still  rode  down  the  hill,  and  turn- 
ing his  horse  in  Steve's  direction  came  across  the  field. 

"  He  sutney  don'  like  you,  Cun'l,"  said  Jerry,  ' '  an'  he 
don'  like  the  Cap'n  neider  ;"  by  which  last,  he  designated 
Jacquelin.  Jerry  always  gave  military  titles  to  those  he 
liked — the  highest  to  Steve,  of  course.  "  He  say  it  do  him 
good  to  see  you  wuckin'  in  the  fiel'  like  a  nigger,  and  some 
day  he  hope  to  set  in  de  gret-house  and  see  you  doin'  it." 

Still  passed  quite  close  to  Captain  Allen,  and  as  he  did 
so,  reined  in  his  horse,  and  sat  -lookin^  down  at  Steve, 
as  he  came  to  the  end  of  his  row. 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  LAYS    DOWN  HIS   HOE  95 

"  We  all  have  to  come  to  it,  at  last,  Captain/'  he  said. 

Whether  it  was  his  words,  and  the  look  on  his  face,  or 
whether  Steve  had  intended  anyhow  to  do  what  he  did,  he 
straightened  up,  and  shot  a  glance  at  the  Manager. 

"  You  think  so  ?  Well,  you  are  mistaken/'  He  raised 
his  hoe  and  stuck  it  in  the  ground  up  to  the  eye. 

"There,"  he  said  to  Still,  in  a  tone  of  command,  "take 
that  home.  That's  the  last  time  I'll  ever  touch  a  hoe  as 
long  as  I  live.  I've  brains  enough  to  make  my  living  by 
them,  and  if  I  haven't,  I  mean  to  starve  ! "  He  walked  past 
the  overseer  with  his  head  so  straight,  that  Still  began  to 
explain  that  he  had  meant  no  offence.  But  Steve  took  no 
further  notice  of  him. 

"  Jerry,  you  can  keep  on  ;  I'll  see  that  you  get  your  part 
of  the  crop." 

"  Nor — I  ain't  gwine  to  hit  anur  lick,  nurr — I'll  starve 
wid  yer."  And  Jerry  lifted  his  hoe  and  drove  it  into  the 
ground ;  looked  at  Still  superciliously,  and  followed  his 
master  with  as  near  an  imitation  of  his  manner  and  gait  as 
he  could  achieve. 

It  was  only  when  Steve  was  out  of  hearing,  that  Still's 
look  changed.  He  clenched  his  fist,  and  shook  it  after 
the  young  man. 

"  I'll  bring  you  to  it  yet,"  he  growled. 

That  evening  Steve  announced  his  intention  of  begin 
ning  immediately  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


CHAPTER  IX 

MR.     JONADAB    LEECH    TURKS    UP    WITH    A    CARPET-BAG 
AND   OPENS   HIS  BUREAU 

THE  young  officers  at  the  court-house  meantime  had  fared 
very  well.  It  is  true  that  most  of  the  residents  treated 
them  coldly,  if  civilly,  and  that  the  girls  of  the  place,  of 
whom  there  were  quite  a  number,  turned  aside  whenever 
they  met  them,  and  passed  by  with  their  heads  held  high, 
and  their  eyes  straight  to  the  front,  flashing  daggers.  But 
this  the  young  men  were  from  experience  more  or  less 
used  to. 

Reely  Thurston  told  Middleton  that  if  he  would  leave 
matters  to  him,  he  would  engineer  him  through  the  cam- 
paign, and  before  it  was  over  would  be  warbling  ditties  with 
all  the  pretty  girls  in  a  way  to  make  his  cousin,  Miss  Ruth 
Welch,  green  with  envy.  The  lieutenant  began  by  parad- 
ing up  and  down  on  his  very  fine  horse  ;  but  the  only  result 
he  attained  was  to  hear  a  plump  young  girl  ask  another  in 
a  clear  voice,  evidently  meant  for  him  to  hear,  "What 
poor  Southerner,"  she  supposed,  "  that  little  Yankee  stole 
that  horse  from  ! "  He  recognized  the  speaker  as  the 
young  lady  he  had  seen  looking  at  them  from  the  door  of 
the  clerk's  office  the  morning  of  their  arrival. 

Brutusville,  the  county  seat  where  they  were  posted,  was 
a  pretty  little  straggling  country  village  of  old-fashioned 
houses  amid  groves  of  fine  old  trees,  lying  along  the  main 
road  of  the  county,  where  it  wound  among  shady  slopes, 
with  the  blue  mountain  range  in  the  distance.  Most  of 
the  houses  were  hip-roofed  and  gray  with  age.  The  river — 
the  same  stream  that  divided  Red  Rock  from  Birdwood — 

96 


THE   GIRLS  OF   THE  PLACE   TURNED  ASIDE,  WHENEVER  THEY  MET  THEM- 
AND  PASSED  BY   WITH  THEIR  HEADS  HELD  HIGH. 


MR.   JONADAB  LEECH  TURNS   UP  97 

passed  near  the  village,  broadening  as  it  reached  the  more 
level  country  and  received  the  waters  of  one  or  two  other 
streams.  Before  the  war  there  had  been  talk  of  estab- 
lishing deep-water  connections  with  the  lower  country,  as 
the  last  rapids  of  any  extent  were  not  far  below  Brutusville. 
Dr.  Gary,  however,  had  humorously  suggested  that  they 
would  find  it  easier  to  macadamize  the  river  than  to  make 
it  navigable. 

The  county  seat  had  suifered,  like  the  rest  of  the  county, 
during  the  war  ;  but  as  it  happened,  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy  had  been  kept  out  of  the  place  by  high  water,  and 
the  fine  old  trees  did  much  to  conceal  the  scars  that  had 
been  made. 

The  old,  brick  court-house  in  the  middle  of  the  green, 
peeping  out  from  among  the  trees,  with  its  great,  classical 
portico,  was  esteemed  by  the  residents  of  the  village  to  be, 
perhaps,  the  most  imposing  structure  in  the  world.  Mr. 
Dockett,  the  clerk — who  had  filled  this  position  for  nearly 
forty  years,  with  the  exception  of  the  brief  period  when, 
fired  by  martial  enthusiasm,  he  had  gone  off  with  Captain 
Gray's  company — told  Lieutenant  Thurston  a  day  or  two 
after  the  latter's  arrival,  that  while  he  had  never  been  to 
Greece  or,  indeed,  out  of  the  State,  he  had.  been  informed 
by  those  who  had  been  there  that  the  court-house  was,  per- 
haps, in  some  respects,  more  perfect  than  any  building  in 
Athens.  Lieutenant  Thurston  said  he  had  never  been  to 
Greece  either,  but  he  was  quite  sure  it  was.  He  also 
added  that  he  considered  Mr.  Dockett's  own  house  a  very 
beautiful  one,  and  thought  that  it  showed  evidences,  in  its 
embellishments,  of  that  same  classical  taste  that  Mr.  Dockett 
admired  so  much.  Mr.  Dockett,  while  accepting  the  com- 
pliment with  due  modesty,  answered  that  if  the  lieutenant 
wished  to  see  a  beautiful  house  he  should  see  Ked  Eock. 
And  thereupon  began  new  matter,  the  young  officer  gently 
leading  the  old  gentleman  to  talk  of  all  the  people  and  af- 
fairs of  the  neighborhood,  including  the  charms  of  the 
girls. 

7 


98  RED    ROCK 

From  this,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  little  Lieutenant  was 
already  laying  his  mines,  and  preparing  to  make  good  his 
promise  to  Middleton  to  engineer  him  through  the  cam- 
paign. 

The  compliment  to  the  Dockett  mansion  was  not  with- 
out its  effect  on  the  genius  who  presided  in  that  classic  and 
comfortable  abode,  and,  at  length,  Mrs.  Dockett,  a  plump 
and  energetic  woman,  had,  with  some  prevision,  though  in 
a  manner  to  make  her  beneficiaries  sensible  of  her  conde- 
scension, acceded  to  the  young  men's  request  to  take  them 
as  boarders,  and  allow  them  to  occupy  a  wing-room  in  her 
house. 

Thus  Middleton  and  Thurston  were  able  to  write  Ruth 
Welch  a  glowing  account  of  their  "headquarters  in  an 
old  colonial  mansion,"  and  of  the  "  beautiful  maiden  "  who 
sang  them  "songs  of  the  South." 

The  songs,  however,  that  Miss  Dockett  sang,  though  as 
Thurston  said  truly,  they  were  in  one  sense  sung  for 
them,  were  not  sung  in  the  sense  Lieutenant  Thurston 
implied.  They  were  hardly  just  the  sort  that  Miss  Ruth 
Welch  would  have  approved  of,  and  were  certainly  not 
what  Mrs.  Welch  would  have  tolerated.  For  they  were 
all  of  the  most  ultra-Southern  spirit  and  tendency,  and 
breathed  the  deadliest  defiance  to  everyone  and  every- 
thing Northern.  Miss  Dockett  was  not  pretty,  except  as 
youth  and  wholesomeness  give  beauty  ;  but  she  was  a 
cheery  maiden,  with  blue  eyes,  white  teeth,  rosy  cheeks, 
and  a  profusion  of  hair,  and  though  she  had  no  training, 
she  possessed  a  pleasant  voice  and  sang  naturally  and 
agreeably — at  least  to  one  who,  liko  Thurston,  had  not  too 
much  ear  for  music.  Thurston  once  had  the  temerity  to 
ask  for  a  song — for  which  he  received  a  merited  rebuff. 
Of  course  she  would  not  sing  for  a  Yankee,  said  the  young 
lady,  with  a  toss  of  her  head  and  an  increased  elevation 
of  her  little  nose,  and  immediately  she  left  the  room. 
When,  however,  the  young  officers  were  in  their  rooms, 
she  sang  all  the  Southern  songs  she  knew.  One,  in  par- 


MR.  JONADAB  LEECH  TURNS   UP  99 

ticular,  she  rendered  with  great  spirit.     It  had  just  been 
written.     It  began : 

"  Oh !  I'm  a  good  old  rebel, 
Now,  that's  just  what  I  am ; 
For  this  4  Fair  land  of  freedom,' 
I  do  not  care  a-t  all. " 

Another  verse  ran : 

<l  Three  hundred  thousand  Yankees 
Lays  dead  in  Southern  dus', 
We  got  three  hundred  thousand 
Before  they  conquered  us ; 
They  died  of  Southern  fever, 
Of  Southern  steel  and  shot  ; 
I  wish  they  were  three  million, 
Instead  of  what  we  got." 

The  continued  iteration  of  this  sanguinary  melody  float- 
ing in  at  the  open  window  finally  induced  the  little  Lieu- 
tenant, in  his  own  room  one  afternoon,  to  raise,  in  op- 
position, his  own  voice,  which  was  none  of  the  most 
melodious,  in  the  strains  of  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner/' 
But  he  had  got  no  further  than  the  second  invocation  to 
"  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,"  when 
there  was  a  rush  of  footsteps  outside,  followed  by  a  pound- 
ing on  his  door,  and  on  his  opening  the  door  Mrs.  Dock- 
ett  bore  down  on  him  with  so  much  fire  in  her  eye  that 
Reely  was  quite  overwhelmed.  And  when  she  gave  him 
notice  that  she  would  have  no  Yankee  songs  sung  in  her 
house,  and  that  he  must  either  "quit  the  house  or  quit 
howling,"  little  Thurston,  partly  amused  and  partly 
daunted,  and  with  the  wide  difference  between  Mrs. 
Dockett's  fried  chicken  and  beat-biscuit  and  the  mess- 
table  "  truck "  before  his  eyes,  promised  to  adopt  the 
latter  course — "generally." 

Fortunately  the  young  officers  were  too  much  accus- 
tomed to  such  defiances  to  feel  very  serious  about  them,  and 


100  RED   ROCK 

they  went  on  ingratiating  themselves  with  Miss  Dockett — • 
Thurston  by  his  fun  and  good-humor,  and  Middleton  by 
his  gentlemanly  bearing  and  his  firm  management  of  the 
negroes  who  hung  around  the  camp. 

The  peace  and  comfort  of  the  young  men,  however, 
were  suddenly  much  threatened  by  the  arrival  of  a  new 
official,  not  under  their  jurisdiction,  though  under  Colonel 
Krafton,  who  had  sent  him  up,  specially  charged  with  all 
matters  relating  to  the  negroes. 

He  arrived  one  afternoon  with  only  a  carpet-bag  ;  took 
a  room  in  the  hotel,  and,  as  if  already  familiar  with  the 
ground,  immediately  dispatched  a  note  to  Mrs.  Dockett 
asking  quarters  in  her  house.  Even  had  the  new-comer 
preferred  his  application  as  a  request  it  might  have  been 
rejected  ;  but  he  demanded  it  quite  as  a  right ;  the  line 
which  he  sent  up  by  a  negro  servant  being  rather  in  the 
nature  of  an  order  than  a  petition  to  Mrs.  Dockett  to  pre- 
pare the  best  room  in  her  house  for  his  head-quarters.  It 
was  signed  "  Jonadab  Leech,  Provost-Marshal,  command- 
ing/' etc.,  etc.  But  the  new  official  did  not  know  Mrs. 
Dockett.  The  order  raised  a  breeze  which  came  near  blow- 
ing the  two  officers,  whom  she  had  accepted  and  domiciled 
in  her  house,  out  of  the  quarters  she  had  vouchsafed  them. 
She  sailed  down  upon  them  with  the  letter  in  her  hand  ; 
and,  as  Thurston  said,  with  colors  flying  and  guns  ready 
for  action.  But,  fortunately,  little  Thurston  was  equal  to 
the  emergency.  He  glanced  at  the  paper  the  enraged  lady 
showed  him  and  requested  to  be  allowed  possession  of  it 
for  a  moment.  When  he  had  apparently  studied  it  atten- 
tively, he  looked  up. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  quite  comprehend.  Do  I  under- 
stand you  to  insist  on  taking  this  man  in  ? "  He  was 
never  so  innocent-looking.  Mrs.  Dockett  gasped  : 

"  What !  !  Ta— ke  in  the  man  that  wrote  that !  "  She 
visibly  expanded. 

"-— Because  if  you  do,  Captain  Middleton  and  I  shall 
have  to  move  our  quarters.  I  happen  to  know  this  man 


MR.   JONADAB   LEECH   TURNS    UP  101 

personally— slightly— that  is,  I  once  had  a  transaction 
with  him  as  an  officer  which  resulted  unpleasantly.  His 
functions  are  entirely  different  from  ours ;  he  being 
charged  with  matters  relating  to  the  freedmen,  their  care 
and  support ;  while  ours  are  military  and  relate  to  the 
government  of  the  county  and  the  maintenance  of  peace. 
(He  glanced  at  Mrs.  Dockett,  who  was  sniffing  ominously.) 
While  we  shall  uphold  him  in  all  proper  exercise  of  his 
power,  and  recognize  his  authority  as  an  officer  within  the 
scope  of  his  own  jurisdiction,  I  must  say  that  for  personal 
reasons  his  presence  would  be  distasteful  to  me,  and  I 
think  I  can  speak  for  Captain  Middleton  (here  he  looked 
over  at  his  friend  inquiringly),  and  if  you  contemplate 
taking  him  in,  I  should  prefer  to  remove  my  own  quarters 
back  to  camp." 

The  little  Lieutenant  had  gathered  dignity  as  he  pro- 
ceeded, and  he  delivered  the  close  of  his  oration  with 
quite  the  manner  of  an  orator.  He  had  spoken  so  rapidly 
that  Mrs.  Dockett  had  not  had  a  moment  to  get  in  a 
word.  He  closed  with  a  most  impressive  bow,  while  Mid- 
dleton gazed  at  him  with  mingled  amusement  and  ad- 
miration. 

Mrs.  Dockett  discovered  the  wind  taken  completely  out 
of  her  sails,  and  found  herself  actually  forced  into  the 
position  of  making  a  tack  and  having  rather  to  offer  an 
apology  to  the  ruffled  little  officer. 

She  had.  never  dreamed  of  preferring  this  new-comer 
to  them,  she  declared.  She  could  not  but  say  that  they 
had  always  acted  in  a  most  gentlemanly  way,  so  far  as  she 
was  concerned.  *  She  had,  indeed,  been  most  agreeably  sur- 
prised. She  had  never,  for  a  moment,  dreamed  of  permit- 
ting this  impudent  upstart,  whoever  he  was,  to  come  in- 
to her  house.  Let  him  go  to  some  of  his  colored  friends. 
Of  course,  if  they  wished  to  leave  her  house — they  must 
do  so.  Her  head  was  rising  again.  Thurston  hastened  to 
interpose. 

Not  at  all — they  were   most  charmed,   etc.     Only  he 


102  BED   ROCK 

didn't  know  but  she  might  not  care  to  have  them  remain 
— and  they  could  not  do  so  if  this  man  came. 

"He's  not  coming.  Let  him  try  it."  And  the  irate 
lady  sailed  out  to  deliver  her  broadside  to  the  new  enemy 
that  had  borne  down  on  her. 

She  had  no  sooner  disappeared  than  the  Lieutenant's 
face  fell. 

"  Gad  !  Larry,  we  are  undone.  It's  that  Leech  who  used 
to  live  with  old  Bolter,  and  about  whom  they  told  the 
story  of  his  trying  to  persuade  his  wife  to  let  him  get  a 
divorce,  and  who  shirked  all  through  the  war.  Unless  we 
can  get  rid  of  him  it's  all  up.  We're  ruined." 

"  Freeze  him  out,"  Middleton  said,  briefly.  "  You've 
begun  well." 

"Freeze-  -?  Freeze  a  snow-bank !  That's  his  cli- 
mate. He'd  freeze  in  ! "  The  little  Lieutenant 

named  a  very  hot  place. 

Thurston  had  not  been  too  soon  in  placing  the  line  of 
discrimination  clearly  between  themselves  and  the  Provost 
Marshal,  for  the  arrival  of  the  latter  in  the  county  at  once 
caused  a  change  of  conditions. 

On  receipt  of  Mrs.  Dockett's  decisive  and  stinging  reply 
Leech  immediately  made  application  to  Captain  Middleton 
to  enforce  his  requisition,  but,  to  his  indignation,  he  was 
informed  that  they  were  the  only  boarders,  and  that  Mrs. 
Dockett  managed  her  own  domestic  affairs  :  which,  indeed, 
was  no  more  than  the  truth.  To  revenge  himself,  the  Pro- 
vost took  possession  of  Mr.  Dockett's  office,  and  opened 
his  bureau  in  it,  crowding  the  old  official  into  a  back  room 
of  the  building.  Here,  too,  however,  he  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment and  mortification  ;  for,  on  the  old  clerk's  rep- 
resentation of  the  danger  to  his  records,  and  of  their  value, 
enforced  by  Mrs.  Dockett's  persuasive  arguments,  Leech 
was  required  by  Middleton  to  surrender  possession  and 
take  up  his  quarters  in  an  unoccupied  building  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road.  Here  he  opened  his  office  under  a  flaring 
sign  bearing  the  words,  "  FKEEDMEN'S  BUREAU." 


ME.   JONADAB  LEECH  TURNS   UP  103 

So  the  Provost,  being  baffled  here,  had  to  content  him- 
self, as  he  might,  at  the  court-house  tavern,  where  he  soon 
laid  off  a  new  campaign.  His  principal  trouble  there,  lay 
in  the  presence  of  the  dark,  sallow  Captain  McEaffle, 
whose  saturnine  face  scowled  at  him  from  the  upper  end 
of  the  table,  and  kept  him  in  a  state  of  constant  irritation. 
The  only  speech  the  Captain  ever  addressed  to  him  was  to 
ask  if  he  played  cards,  and  on  his  saying  he  ' '  never  played 
games,"  he  appeared  to  take  no  further  interest  in  him. 
The  Provost,  however,  kept  his  eye  on  him. 

The  effect  of  the  Provost's  appearance  was  felt  immedi- 
ately. The  news  of  his  arrival  seemed  to  have  spread 
in  a  night,  and  the  next  day  the  roads  were  filled  with 
negroes. 

"  De  wud  had  come  for  *em,"  they  said.  They  ' '  had  to 
go  to  de  Cap'n  to  git  de  papers  out  o'  de  buro."  Only 
the  old  house-servants  were  left,  and  even  they  were  some- 
what excited. 

This  time  those  who  left  their  homes  did  not  return  so 
quickly.  Immediately  after  the  news  of  the  surrender 
came,  a  good  many  of  the  negroes  had  gone  off  and  estab- 
lished settlements  to  themselves.  The  chief  settlement  in 
the  Bed  Rock  neighborhood  was  known  as  "  The  Bend," 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  in  a  section  half  surrounded  by 
a  curve  of  the  river.  It  was  accessible  from  both  sides  of 
the  river,  and  in  the  past  had  been  much  associated  with 
runaway  negroes. 

It  had  always  been  an  unsavory  spot  in  the  county,  and 
now,  the  negroes  congregating  there,  it  had  come  into 
greater  ill  repute  than  ever.  It  was  dubbed  with  some  de- 
rision, "Africa."  Here  Jim  Sherwood  and  Moses  had 
built  cabins,  and  shortly  many  others  gathered  about  them. 
This,  however,  might  not  have  amounted  to  much  had  not 
another  matter  come  to  light. 

The  Provost  was  summoning  the  negroes  and  enrolling 
them  by  hundreds,  exciting  them  with  stories  of  what  the 
Government  proposed  to  do  for  them,  and  telling  them 


104  RED   ROCK 

the  most  pernicious  lies  :  that  they  need  not  work,  and 
that  the  Government  was  going  to  feed  them  and  give 
them  all  "  forty  acres  and  a  mule  apiece." 

Even  the  older  negroes  were  somewhat  excited  by  these 
tales,  and,  finally,  Mammy  Krenda  asked  Dr.  Gary  if  it 
was  true  that  the  Government  was  going  to  give  them  all 
land. 

"  Of  course  not.     Who  says  so  ?  "  asked  the  Doctor. 

"  I  heah  so/'  said  the  old  woman.  Even  she  was  be- 
ginning to  be  afraid  to  tell  what  she  had  heard. 

Contemporaneously  with  this,  an  unprecedented  amount 
of  lawlessness  suddenly  appeared  :  chicken-houses  were 
robbed  ;  sheep  and  pigs  and  even  cattle  were  stolen,  with- 
out there,  being  any  authority  to  take  cognizance  of  the 
thefts  or  any  power  to  punish. 

Andy  Stamper  and  several  others  of  the  neighbors  came 
over  to  see  Dr.  Gary  about  the  matter.  They  had  been 
to  the  court-house  the  day  before  ' '  to  see  about  things/' 
Andy  said,  and  "  had  found  every  nigger  in  the  county 
piled  up  in  front  of  that  Leech's  door." 

"  They're  talkin'  about  every  one  of  'em  gittin'  forty 
acres  and  a  mule,  Doctor,"  said  little  Andy,  with  a 
twinkle  in  his  eye  ;  but  a  grim  look  about  his  mouth. 
"  The  biggest  men  down  thar  are  that  Jim  Sherwood  of 
yours  ;  that  trick-doctor  nigger  of  Miss'  Gray's,  Moses 
Swift,  and  a  tall,  black  nigger  of  General  Legaie's,  named 
Nicholas  Ash.  They're  doin'  most  of  the  talkin'.  "Well, 
I  aint  got  but  eighty  acres — jest  about  enough  for  two 
of  'em,"  added  Andy,  the  grim  lines  deepening  about 
his  mouth  ;  "but  I'm  mighty  sdrry  for  them  two  as  tries 
to  git  'em — I  told  Hiram  so."  The  twinkle  had  disap- 
peared from  his  blue  eyes,  like  the  flash  on  a  ripple,  and 
the  eyes  were  as  quiet  and  gray  as  the  water  after  the 
ripple  had  passed. 

"Hiram,  he's  the  chief  adviser  and  friend  of  the  new 
man.  I  thought  he  was  hatchin'  something.  He  was 
down  there  inside  of  the  office  —  looked  like  a  shot  cat 


ME.  JONADAB   LEECH  TURNS   TIP  105 

when  I  come  in — said  he  was  tryin*  to  git  some  hands. 
You  watch  him.  He's  a  goin'  over.  He  was  at  the  nig- 
ger meetin'-house  th*  other  night.  I  heard  some  white 
man  was  there  ;  but  I  couldn't  git  at  who  'twas  till  old 
Weev'ly  let  it  out." 

.  Dr.  Gary  told  of  his  conversation  with  Still  a  few  days 
before  ;  but  the  little  Sergeant  was  not  convinced. 

"  Whenever  he  talks,  that's  the  time  you  know  he  ain't 
goin'  to  do  it,"  he  said. 

Still's  attentions  to  Miss  Delia  Dove  had  not  only  quick- 
ened Andy's  jealousy,  but  had  sharpened  his  suspicion 
generally,  and  he  had  followed  his  movements  closely. 

Still  had  quickly  become  assured  that  the  two  young 
soldiers  in  command  at  the  county  seat  were  not  the  kind 
for  him  to  impress.  And  when  the  new  officer  came  he 
had  at  once  proceeded  to  inspect  him. 

Leech  was  expecting  him  ;  for  though  they  had  never 
met,  Still  had  already  secretly  placed  himself  in  communi- 
cation with  Krafton,  the  Provost-Marshal  in  the  city. 

The  new  Provost  was  not  pleasing  to  look  on.  He  was  a 
man  spare  in  figure  and  with  a  slight  stoop  in  his  shoulders 
— consequent  perhaps  on  a  habit  he  had  of  keeping  his  gaze 
on  the  ground.  He  had  mild  blue  eyes,  and  a  long,  sallow 
face,  with  a  thin  nose,  bad  teeth,  and  a  chin  that  ended 
almost  in  a  point.  He  rarely  showed  temper.  He  posed 
rather  as  a  good-natured,  easy-going  fellow,  cracking  jokes 
with  anyone  who  would  listen  to  him,  and  indulging  in 
laughter  which  made  up  in  loudness  what  it  lacked  in 
merriment.  When  he  walked,  it  was  with  a  peculiar,  sinu- 
ous motion.  The  lines  in  his  face  gave  him  so  sour  an  ex- 
pression that  Steve  Allen,  just  after  he  moved  to  the  court- 
house to  practise  law,  said  that  Leech,  from  his  look,  must 
be  as  great  a  stench  in  his  own  nostrils  as  in  those  of 
other  people.  This  speech  brought  Steve  Leech's  undy- 
ing hatred,  though  he  veiled  it  well  enough  at  the  moment 
and  simply  bided  his  time. 

The  Provost-Marshal  was  not  a   prepossessing   person 


106  KED   ROCK 

even  to  Still ;  but  Mrs.  Gray's  manager  had  large  schemes 
in  his  mind,  and  the  new-comer  appeared  a  likely  person 
to  aid  him  in  carrying  them  out.  They  soon  became  ad- 
visers for  each  other. 

"You  can't  do  nothin'  with  them  two  young  men/'  the 
overseer  told  the  Provost.  "I've  done  gauged  'em.  I  know 
'em  as  soon  as  I  see  'em,  and  I  tell  you  they  don't  think 
no  more  of  folks  like  you  and  me  than  of  the  dirt  under 
their  feet.  They're  for  the  aristocrats." 

He  shortly  gauged  the  Provost. 

"  When  I  know  what  a  man  wants,  I  know  how  to  git  at 
him,"  he  said  to  his  son  Wash,  afterward.  "  He  wants  to  get 
up — but  first  he  wants  money — and  we  must  let  him  see  it. 
I  lent  him  a  leetle  too — just  to  grease  the  skillet.  When 
you've  lent  a  man  money  you've  got  a  halter  on  him." 

"You're  a  mighty  big  fool  to  lend  your  money  to  a 
man  you  don't  know  anything  about.  You'll  never  get  it 
back,"  observed  Wash,  surlily. 

"Ah  !  Won't  I  ?  Trust  me  ;  I  never  lend  money  that 
I  don't  get  it  back  in  one  shape  or  another — with  interest 
too.  I  don't  expect  to  get  that  back."  He  dropped  his 
voice.  "  That's  what  I  call  a  purchase — not  a  loan.  Don't 
try  to  fry  your  chicken  till  you've  greased  the  pan,  my  son." 

"  Something  in  that,"  admitted  the  young  medical  stu- 
dent. They  were  sitting  on  the  little  front  porch  of  the 
overseer's  house,  and  Hiram  Still's  eye  took  in  the  scene 
about  him — the  wide  fields,  the  rich,  low-grounds,  the  chim- 
neys of  the  mansion-house  peeping  from  the  grove  of  great 
trees  on  its  high  hill  a  half  mile  away.  His  face  lit  up. 

"  Ah  !  Wash,  if  you  trust  your  old  pappy,  you'll  see 
some  mighty  changes  in  this  here  county.  What'd  you 
say  if  you  was  to  see  yourself  some  day  settin'  up  in  that 
big  hall  yonder,  with,  say,  a  pretty  young  lady  from  acrost 
the  river,  and  that  Steve  and  Mr.  Jacquelin  ploughin*  in 
thefurrer  ?" 

"  By  G— d  I  I'd  love  it,"  declared  Wash,  decisively,  his 
good-humor  thoroughly  restored. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   PEOVOST  MAKES  HIS   FIKST   MOVE 

LEECH  shortly  determined  to  give  the  neighborhood  an 
illustration  of  his  power,  and,  striking,  he  struck  high. 

A  few  days  after  the  Provost's  arrival  Dr.  Gary  received 
a  summons  to  appear  before  him  at  the  court-house  next 
day.  It  was  issued  on  the  complaint  of  "  the  Rev.  James 
Sherwood,"  and  was  signed,  "Jonadab  Leech,  Provost 
commanding,"  etc. 

General  Legaie,  who  was  at  Birdwood  when  the  soldier 
who  served  the  summons  arrived,  was  urgent  that  Dr. 
Gary  should  refuse  to  obey  it;  but  the  Doctor  said  he 
would  go.  He  would  obey  the  law.  He  would  not,  how- 
ever report  to  Leech,  but  to  Captain  Middleton,  the  rank- 
ing officer.  The  General  said  if  the  Doctor  would  persist 
in  going,  he  would  go  with  him  to  represent  him.  So  next 
morning  the  two  old  officers  rode  down  to  the  Court-house 
together,  the  General  very  martial,  and  Dr.  Gary  very  calm. 

When  they  reached  the  county  seat  they  found  "the 
street,"  or  road  in  front  of  "  the  green,"  which  was  occu- 
pied by  the  camp  of  the  soldiers,  filled  with  negroes,  men 
and  women.  They  had  made  booths  of  boughs  in  the  fence- 
corners,  where  they  were  living  like  children  at  play, 
and  ware  all  in  the  gayest  spirits,  laughing  and  shouting 
and  "larking"  among  themselves,  presenting  in  this  regard 
a  very  different  state  of  mind  from  that  of  the  two  gentle- 
men. They  were,  however,  respectful  enough  to  them, 
and  when  the  riders  inquired  where  the  commanding 
officer  was,  there  were  plenty  of  offers  to  show  them,  and 
more  than  enough  to  hold  their  horses.  Some  of  them 

107 


108  BED  HOCK 

indicated  that  the  commander  was  in  the  old  store  on  the 
roadside,  which  appeared  from  the  throng  about  it  to  be 
the  centre  of  interest  to  the  crowd. 

"Dat  ain't  nuttin  but  the  buro,  sir  ;  the  ones  you  wants 
to  see  is  up  yonder  at  Miss'  Dockett's ;  I  knows  de  ones 
you  wants  to  see/3  said  Tom,  one  of  the  Doctor's  old  ser- 
vants, with  great  pride. 

To  settle  the  question,  the  Doctor  dismounted  and 
walked  in,  giving  his  horse  to  the  old  man  to  hold. 

The  front  of  the  store  was  full  of  negroes,  packed  to- 
gether as  thick  as  they  could  stand,  and  simply  waiting. 
They  made  way  for  the  Doctor  and  he  passed  through  to 
the  rear,  where  there  was  a  little  partition  walling  off  a 
back  room.  The  door  was  ajar,  and  inside  were  seated  two 
men,  one  a  stranger  in  uniform,  the  other,  a  man  who 
sat  with  his  back  to  the  door,  and  who,  at  the  moment  that 
the  Doctor  approached,  was  leaning  forward,  talking  to  the 
Provost  in  a  low,  earnest  half -whisper.  As  the  visitor 
knocked  the  official  glanced  up  and  the  other  man  turned 
quickly  and  looked  over  his  shoulder.  Seeing  Dr.  Gary  he 
sprang  to  his  feet.  It  was  Hiram  Still. 

"  I  wish  to  see  the  officer  in  command,"  announced  the 
Doctor.  "  Good-morning  Mr.  Still."  His  tone  expressed 
surprise. 

"  I  am  the  officer  in  command,"  said  the  official,  shortly. 

"  Ah  !  you  are  not  Captain  Middleton  ?  I  believe  he  is 
in  command." 

"No,  I  guess  not.  I'm  Captain  Leecli,  head  of  the 
Freedmen's  Bureau."  His  voice  was  thin  but  assertive, 
and  he  spoke  as  if  he  had  been  contradicted. 

"Ah  !     It  is  the  regular  officer  I  wish  to  see." 

"I'm  regular  enough,  I  guess,  and  if  it's  anything 
about  the  freedmen  you'll  find,  I  guess,  I'm  the  one  to 
see."  He  turned  from  the  Doctor  with  studied  indiffer- 
ence and  motioned  to  his  companion  to  resume  his  seat. 
The  latter,  however,  came  forward.  He  had  apparently 
recovered  somewhat  from  his  confusion. 


THE  PROVOST  MAKES   HIS   FIRST  MOVE         109 

"  This  is  Dr.  Gary,  one  of  the  rinest  gentlemen  in  our 
county/'  he  said  to  the  officer,  as  if  he  were  making  a 
speech,  and  then  turned  to  the  Doctor  :  "  Captain  Leech 
is  the  gentleman  to  see  about  getting  our  hands  back. 
Fact  is,  I  am  just  down  here  about  that  now." 

Leech  had  been  looking  at  the  Doctor  with  new  interest. 
' '  So  you're  Dr.  Gary  ?  "  he  said.  "  Well,  Fm  the  one  for 
you  to  see.  I  summoned  you  to  appear  before  me  to  know 
why  you  turned  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sherwood  out  of  his  home." 
His  manner  was  growing  more  and  more  insolent,  and  the 
Doctor  stiffened.  The  only  notice  he  took  was  to  look 
over  Leech's  head. 

"  Ah  !  I  believe  I  will  go  and  see  Captain  Middleton," 
he  said,  with  dignity.  "  Good-morning/'  and  he  walked 
out,  his  head  held  somewhat  higher  than  when  he  went  in, 
leaving  Leech  fuming  in  impotent  rage,  and  Still  to  give 
the  Head  of  the  Bureau  behind  his  back  a  very  different 
estimate  of  him  from  that  which  he  had  just  declared  so 
loudly  'in  his  presence. 

"  He's  one  of  that  same  sort  with  your  young  men," 
said  the  manager,  "  only  more  so.  What  did  I  tell  you  ? 
See,  he  won't  talk  to  you !  He  wants  to  talk  to  Captain 
Middleton.  You  trust  me,  I'll  keep  you  informed.  I 
know  'em  all.  Not  that  he  ain't  better  than  most,  because 
he's  naturally  kind-hearted  and  would  do  well  enough  if  let 
alone,  but  he  can't  help  it.  It's  bred  in  the  bone.  But 
I'm  too  smart  for  'em.  I  was  too  smart  for  'em  durin' 
the  war,  and  I  am  still."  He  gave  the  Provost  a  confiden- 
tial wink. 

"  Well,  he'll  find  out  who  I  am  before  he  gets  through," 
said  Leech.  "I  guess  he'll  find  I'm, about  as  big  a  man 
as  Captain  Middleton."  He  squared  back  his  thin  shoul- 
ders and  puffed  out  his  chest.  "  I'll  show  him."  He 
turned  to  the  door. 

"  That's  it— that's  it,"  smiled  Still,  delightedly. 

Meantime  Dr.  Gary  had  joined  General  Legaie,  and  with 
the  single  remark  that  it  was  "the  commanding  officer,  not 


110  RED   ROCK 

the  commissary,"  fchat  they  wanted  to  see,  they  rode  up 
the  hill. 

When  the  two  gentlemen  arrived  at  Mrs.  Dockett's  they 
found  that  energetic  lady,  trowel  in  hand,  among  her 
flowers,  and  were  received  by  her  with  so  much  distinction 
that  it  produced  immediately  a  great  impression  on  her 
two  lodgers,  who,  unseen,  were  observing  them  from  their 
window. 

"  Gad  !  Larry,  there's  Don  Quixote,  and  he's  brought 
his  cousin,  Dr.  Filgrave,  along  with  him.  He  must  be  a 
lieutenant-general  at  least.  See  the  way  the  old  lady  is 
smiling  !  I  must  learn  his  secret."  And  the  little  Lieu- 
tenant sprang  to  the  mirror  and  rattled  on  as  Middleton 
got  ready  for  the  interview  which  he  anticipated,  and  the 
two  gentlemen  came  slowly  up  the  walk,  bareheaded,  with 
Mrs.  Dockett,  talking  energetically,  between  them. 

The  next  moment  there  was  a  tramp  outside  the  door, 
and  with  that  rap,  which  Thurston  said  was  a  model  for 
the  last  trump,  Mrs.  Dockett  herself  flung  open  the  door 
and  announced,  with  a  wave  of  her  hand  : 

"General  Legaie  and  Major  Gary." 

The  two  visitors  were  received  with  great  respect.  Mid- 
dleton was  at  his  best,  and  in  the  face  of  a  somewhat 
depressing  gravity  on  the  two  old  officers'  part,  tried  to 
give  the  interview  a  friendly  turn  by  recalling  pleasantly 
his  visit  to  Red  Rock  before  the  war,  and  his  recollection 
of  Dr.  Gary  and  his  daughter.  He  ventured  even  to  inquire 
after  her.  He  supposed  she  was  a  good  big  girl  now  ? 

"Yes,  she  was  almost  quite  grown  and  was  enjoying 
very  good  health,"  said  the  Doctor,  bowing  civilly,  and  he 
proceeded  forthwith  to  state  the  cause  of  their  visit,  while 
Thurston  introduced  to  the  General,  somewhat  irrelevantly, 
the  subject  of  fishing. 

Captain  Middleton  listened  respectfully  to  all  the  two 
gentlemen  had  to  say.  He  agreed  with  them  as  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  establishing  some  form  of  civil  government  in 
the  counties,  and  believed  that  steps  would  be  taken  to  do 


THE   PROVOST  MAKES   HIS   FIRST  MOVE          111 

so  as  soon  as  possible.  Meantime  he  should  preserve  or- 
der. Matters  relating  to  the  negroes,  except  in  the  line  of 
preserving  order,  were,  however,  rather  beyond  his  prov- 
ince, and  properly  under  the  control  of  an  entirely  dis- 
tinct branch,  which  was  just  being  organized,  with  head- 
quarters for  the  State,  in  the  city.  He  said  he  would  go 
with  Dr.  Gary  before  the  Provost  and  see  that  he  was 
not  annoyed  by  any  frivolous  charge.  So  he  accompanied 
the  two  gentlemen  back  to  Leech's  office  and  attended  the 
trial.  It  was  galling  enough  to  the  two  gentlemen  as  it 
was ;  and  but  for  the  presence  of  Middleton  might  have 
been  much  more  so.  Leech's  blue  eyes  snapped  with 
pleasure  at  the  reappearance  of  the  old  officers,  but  were 
filled  with  a  vague  disquiet  at  the  presence  of  their  com- 
panion. However,  he  immediately  proceeded  with  much 
importance  to  take  up  the  case.  The  " trial"  was  held 
in  the  court-house,  and  the  Provost  sat  in  the  judge's 
seat.  The  negroes  around  took  in  quickly  that  something 
unusual  was  happening,  and  the  court-room  was  thronged 
with  them,  all  filled  with  curiosity,  and  many  of  the  older 
ones  wearing  on  their  faces  a  preternatural  solemnity. 
Sherwood  was  present,  in  a  black  coat,  his  countenance 
expressive  of  comical  self-importance.  Dr.  Gary  and  Gen- 
eral Legaie  sat  behind  the  bar,  the  Doctor,  somewhat 
paler  than  usual,  his  head  up,  his  mouth  compressed,  and 
his  thin  nostrils  dilating  ;  the  General's  eyes  glowing  with 
the  fire  that  smouldered  beneath.  Middleton  sat  off  to  one 
side,  a  little  in  front  of  the  bar,  a  silent  but  observant 
spectator. 

The  case  was  stated  by  Leech,  and  without  the  useless 
formality  of  examining  the  complainant  who  had  already 
given  his  story,  Dr.  Gary  was  asked  by  the  Provost,  why 
he  had  driven  Sherwood  off. 

The  Doctor  rose  and  made  his  statement.  When  he 
first  stood  up  the  compression  of  his  lips  showed  the  feel- 
ing under  which  he  labored  ;  but  the  next  second  he  had 
mastered  himself,  and  when  he  spoke  it  was  with  as  much 


BED   ROCK 

respect  as  if  he  were  addressing  the  Chief  Justice.  The 
land  was  his,  and  he  claimed  that  he  would  have  had  the 
right  to  drive  the  man  off  had  he  wished  to  do  so  ;  but,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  not  done  so — he  had  not  done  so 
on  account  of  Sherwood's  wife,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  the  old  mammy  in  his  family,  and  a  valued  servant.  He 
had  only  deposed  him  from  being  the  manager. 

The  Provost  was  manifestly  a  little  disconcerted  by  this 
announcement.  He  glanced  about  him.  The  Doctor  had 
evidently  made  an  impression. 

"  Can  you  prove  this  ?  "  he  asked,  sharply.  The  General 
wriggled  in  his  chair,  his  hands  clutching  the  sides,  and 
the  Doctor  for  a  second  looked  a  trifle  more  grim.  He 
drew  in  a  long  breath. 

"Well,  my  word  has  usually  been  taken  as  proof  of  a 
fact  I  stated,"  he  said,  slowly.  "  But  if  you  desire  further 
proof,  there  are  several  of  my  old  servants  present  who  will 
corroborate  what  I  state.  Perhaps  you  might  be  willing 
to  accept  their  testimony  ?  "  He  looked  the  Provost  in  the 
eyes,  and  then  glanced  around  half  humorously.  ' (  Tom  ! " 
he  called  to  the  old  man  who  had  held  his  horse,  and  who 
was  now  standing  in  the  front  row.  "  Will  you  state  what 
occurred,  to  this — ah — officer  ?  " 

"Yas,  suh — Fll  groberate  ev'y  wud  you  say  —  'cus'  I 
wuz  dyah,"  asserted  Tom,  with  manifest  pride. 

"  Dat's  so,"  called  out  one  or  two  others,  not  to  be  out- 
done by  Tom,  and  the  tide  set  in  for  the  Doctor. 

The  Provost,  in  this  state  of  the  case,  declared  that  the 
charge  was  not  sustained,  and  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  dismiss 
the  complaint.  He,  however,  would  take  this  occasion  to 
state  his  views  on  the  duties  of  the  former  owners  to  their 
slaves  ;  and  he  delivered  a  long  and  somewhat  rambling 
discourse  on  the  subject,  manifestly  designed  for  the  sable 
part  of  his  audience.  When  he  concluded,  and  just  as  he 
started  to  rise,  the  General  sprang  to  his  feet.  The  Doc- 
tor looked  at  him  with  some  curiosity,  perhaps  not 
umningled  with  anxiety,  for  the  General's  eyes  were 


THE  PKOVOST  MAKES  HIS   FIRST  MOVE          113 

blazing.-  With  an  effort,  however,  the  General  controlled 
himself. 

"  Permit  me  to  say,  Mr.  Provost,  that  your  views,  like 
those  of  a  good  many  people  of  your  class,  are  more  valu- 
able to  yourself  than  to  others."  He  bowed  low. 

"  Dat's  so,  too  ! "  called  out  Tom,  who  was  still  in  a 
corroborative  mood,  on  which  there  was  a  guffaw  from  the 
negroes.  And  with  this  shot,  the  General,  after  looking 
the  Provost  steadily  in  the  eyes,  turned  on  his  heel  and 
stalked  out  of  the  court-house,  leaving  Leech  trying  inef- 
fectually to  look  as  if  he,  as  well  as  others,  appreciated  the 
humor  of  Tom's  speech. 

As  they  came  out,  Middleton  took  occasion  to  reopen 
their  former  conversation  as  to  the  necessity  of  establishing 
some  form  of  civil  government  in  the  counties.  He  be- 
lieved, he  said,  that  the  two  gentlemen  might  find  it  bet- 
ter to  apply  to  the  head  of  the  bureau  in  this  section — 
Colonel  Krafton — rather  than  to  attempt  to  secure  any  co- 
operation from  Leech,  who,  he  said,  was  only  a  subordinate, 
and  really  had  little  authority. 

Middleton  and  Thurston  quickly  felt  the  beneficial  ef- 
fect of  their  civility  to  the  old  officers,  in  the  increasing 
cordiality  shown  them  by  their  landlady.  Mrs.  Dockett 
gave  them  a  full  account  of  both  visitors,  their  pedigrees 
and  position,  not  omitting  a  glowing  picture  of  the  beauty 
and  charms  of  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Gary,  and  a  hint 
that  she  was  bound  to  marry  either  Jacquelin  Gray,  the 
owner  of  Eed  Rock,  or  her  cousin,  Captain  Stevenson 
Allen,  who,  Mrs.  Dockett  declared,  was  the  finest  young 
man  in  the  world,  and  had  applied  to  her  for  table-board 
that  very  day. 

This  was  interesting,  at  least  to  Thurston,  who  declared 
that  now  that  he  was  succeeding  so  well  with  Miss  Dockett, 
it  was  necessary  to  utilize  Middleton's  figure.  Events, 
however,  were  moving  without  Thurston's  agency. 

An  order  came  to  Middleton  from  head-quarters  a  day 
or  two  later  to  go  to  the  upper  end  of  the  county  and  in- 
8 


114  EED   ROCK 

vestigate  certain  ' '  mysterious  meetings  "  which,  it  was  re- 
ported, were  being  held  in  that  section. 

The  list  given  of  those  who  participated  in  such  meetings 
made  Middleton  whistle.  It  contained  the  names  of  Dr. 
Gary,  General  Legaie,  Captain  Allen,  and  nearly  every 
man  of  prominence  in  the  county. 

The  name  given  him,  as  that  of  the  person  who  could 
furnish  him  with  information,  was  Hiram  Still ;  and  the 
order  contained  explicit  directions  where  to  meet  him. 
He  would  find  him  at  a  certain  hour  at  the  house  of  a 
colored  man,  named  Nicholas  Ash. 

So  the  Captain  rode  up  to  a  small  cabin  situated  in  a 
little  valley  near  the  Red  Rock  place,  and  had  an  interview 
with  Still,  who  appeared  to  Middleton  far  more  mysterious 
than  anything  else  he  discovered  on  his  trip.  The  meet- 
ings referred  to,  seemed  to  be  only  those  social  gatherings 
which  Dr.  Gary  had  already  spoken  of  to  the  young  officer. 
When  Middleton  prepared  to  leave,  Mr.  Still  offered  to 
show  him  a  nearer  way  back  by  the  ford  below  the  old 
bridge  that  had  been  destroyed  during  the  war,  and  as  it 
was  late  in  the  afternoon,  Middleton  accepted  his  offer. 

They  were  almost  at  the  ford  when  an  old  carriage  came 
out  of  the  road  which  led  down  from  the  Red  Rock  plan- 
tation, and  turned  into  the  main  road  just  before  them. 
Still  pulled  up  his  horse,  and,  excusing  himself  from  going 
any  farther,  on  the  ground  that  if  Middleton  followed  the 
carriage  he  would  be  all  right,  turned  back.  All  anyone 
had  to  do,  he  said,  was  to  keep  down  the  river  a  little,  so  as 
not  to  hit  the  sunken  timbers  ;  but  not  to  go  too  far  down 
or  he  would  get  over  a  ledge  of  rock  and  into  deep  water. 

As  the  road  was  narrow  and  Middleton  supposed  that 
the  driver  knew  the  ford,  he  kept  behind  the  carriage,  and 
let  it  cross  before  him.  One  of  the  horses  appeared  to  be 
afraid  of  the  water,  and  the  driver  had  to  whip  him  to 
force  him  in.  So  when  he  entered  the  stream  he  was 
plunging,  and,  continuing  to  plunge,  he  got  among  the 
sunken  timbers  and  fell. 


THE  PROVOST  MAKES   HIS  FIRST  MOVE          115 

Middleton  was  so  close  behind  the  carriage  that  he  could 
hear  the  voices  of  two  ladies  inside,  one  of  whom  was  ap-  t 
parently  much  alarmed,  whilst  the  other  was  soothing  her, 
and  encouraging  the  driver.     He  heard  her  say: 

"  There's  no  danger,  Cousin  Thomasia.  Gideon  can 
manage  them."  But  there  was  some  danger,  and  "  Cousin 
Thomasia  "  appeared  to  know  it.  The  danger  was  that  the 
frightened  horses  might  turn  and  pull  the  vehicle  around, 
upsetting  it  in  the  deep  water  below,  and  as  the  fallen 
horse  struggled,  Middleton  dashed  in  on  the  lower  side, 
and  catching  the  near  horse,  steadied  him  whilst  the  other 
got  up.  Then,  springing  from  his  own  horse,  he  caught 
the  other  just  as  he  got  to  his  feet,  and  held  to  him  until 
they  reached  the  farther  bank,  where  he  assisted  the 
driver  in  bringing  them  to  a  stand-still,  and  enabled  the 
ladies  to  get  out  and  see  what  damage  had  been  done. 

He  had  taken  in,  even  as  he  passed  the  carriage  in  the 
water,  that  the  two  occupants  were  an  elderly  lady  and  a 
young  lady,  the  latter  of  whom  appeared  to  be  holding  the 
former  ;  but  it  was  after  he  reached  the  bank  that  he 
observed  that  the  younger  of  the  two  ladies  was  one  of  the 
prettiest  girls  he  had  ever  seen.  And  the  next  second  he 
recognized  her  as  Miss  Gary.  She  evidently  recognized 
him  too.  As  she  turned  to  thank  him,  after  she  had 
helped  her  companion  from  the  carriage,  the  color  rose  to 
her  face,  appearing  the  deeper  and  more  charming  because 
of  the  white  which  had  just  preceded  it,  and  which  it  so 
rapidly  followed  ;  and  there  was  a  look  in  her  eyes  which 
was  part  shy  embarrassment  and  part  merriment.  He 
saw  that  she  knew  him,  but  she  did  not  admit  it. 

He  began  to  examine  busily  the  harness,  which  was  old, 
and  had  been  broken  in  several  places.  He  had  some  straps 
on  his  saddle,  he  said,  which  he  would  get.  The  girl 
thanked  him,  with  quiet  dignity,  but  declined  firmly. 

They  would  not  trouble  him.  Gideon  could  mend  it, 
and  she  could  hold  the  horses.  She  bowed  to  him,  with 
grave  eyes,  and  made  a  movement  toward  the  horse,  hold- 


116  RED   ROCK 

ing  out  her  ungloved  hand  to  catch  the  bridle,  and  say- 
ing, "Whoa,  boy/'  in  a  voice  which  Middleton  thought 
might  have  tamed  Bucephalus.  Miss  Thomasia,  how- 
ever, mildly  but  firmly  interposed. 

"  No,  indeed,  my  dear,  I'll  never  get  into  that  carriage 
again  behind  those  dreadful  horses,  unless  this — this — gen- 
tleman (the  word  was  a  little  difficult)  stays  right  by  their 
heads.  I  am  the  greatest  coward  in  the  world,"  she  said  to 
Middleton  in  the  most  confiding  and  friendly  manner  ;  "I 
am  afraid  of  everything."  (Then  to  her  companion  again, 
in  a  lower  tone  :)  "  It  is  very  hard  to  be  beholden  to  a 
Yankee  ;  but  it  is  much  better  than  having  your  neck 
broken.  And  we  are  very  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  I 

assure  you.  Blair,  my  dear,  let  the "  She  paused  and 

took  breath. 

"  Yankee/'  said  Middleton,  in  a  clear  voice,  much 
amused,  as  he  worked  diligently  at  a  strap. 

"  — Gentleman  help  us.  Don't  be  too  obstinate.  Nothing 
distinguishes  a  lady  more  than  her  manner  of  giving  in." 

So,  as  Middleton  was  already  at  work,  the  girl  could  do 
nothing  but  yield.  He  got  his  straps,  and  soon  had  the 
breaks  repaired,  and,  having,  at  Miss  Thomasia's  request, 
held  the  horses  while  the  ladies  re-entered  the  vehicle,  and 
then  having  started  them  oil,  he  stood  aside  and  saluted  as 
they  passed,  catching,  accidentally,  Miss  Gary's  eyes,  which 
were  once  more  grave.  The  only  remark  she  had  volun- 
teered to  him  outside  of  the  subject  of  the  broken  harness 
was  in  praise  of  his  horse,  which  was,  indeed,  a  magnificent 
animal. 

A  few  minutes  later,  the  young  Captain  galloped  by  the 
carriage,  but  he  did  not  glance  in,  he  simply  saluted  as  he 
passed,  with  eyes  straight  to  the  front. 

When  he  reached  home  that  night  Larry  Middleton  was 
graver  than  usual ;  but  little  Thurston,  after  hearing  of 
the  adventure,  was  in  better  spirits  than  he  had  shown  for 
some  time.  He  glanced  at  Middleton's  half-discontented 
face,  and  burst  out : 


THE   PROVOST   MAKES   HIS   FIRST  MOVE          117 

' ' '  Oh !  cast  that  shadow  from  thy  brow/  It  was 
clearly  Providence.  Why,  Larry,  after  that  they  are  ob- 
liged to  invite  us  to  dinner." 

"  Why,  she  didn't  even  speak  to  me,"  growled  Middle- 
ton,  puffing  away  at  his  pipe.  "  And  I  know  she  recog- 
nized me,  just  as  clearly  as  I  did  her." 

"  Of  course,  she  recognized  you — recognized  you  as  one 
of  the  enemies  of  her  country — a  hated  oppressor — a  des- 
picable Yankee.  Did  you  expect  her  to  fall  on  your  neck 
and  weep  ?  On  my  soul  !  she's  a  girl  of  spirit !  Like  my 
own  adorable  Elizabeth  !  All  the  same,  we're  as  good  for 
invitations  to  whatever  they  give  as  a  dollar  is  for  a  dough- 
nut." 

And  when  a  day  or  two  later  a  note  from  Dr.  Gary,  in  a 
formal  handwriting  and  equally  formal  words,  was  brought 
to  Captain  Middleton,  thanking  him  for  his  "opportune 
and  courteous  aid"  to  his  daughter  and  cousin,  Lieu- 
tenant Thurston  declared  that  it  was  an  invitation  to 
Middleton's  wedding. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    PEOVOST    CATCHES     A  TARTAR,    AND    CAPTAIN    MID- 
DLETON   SEEKS   THE   CONSOLATIONS   OF   RELIGION 

STEYE  ALLEN  on  his  removal  to  the  county  seat  after  his 
sudden  abandonment  of  farming,  had  taken  up  his  quar- 
ters in  an  old  building,  fronting  on  the  court-green  near 
the  Clerk's  office,  and  with  its  rear  opening  on  a  little  lane 
which  led  to  two  of  the  principal  roads  in  the  county. 
From  the  evening  of  his  arrival  Steve  took  possession  of 
the  entire  village.  He  wore  his  old  cavalry  uniform,  the 
only  suit  he  possessed,  and,  with  his  slouched  hat  set  on 
one  side  of  his  handsome  head,  carried  himself  so  inde- 
pendently that  he  was  regarded  with  some  disfavor  by  the 
two  young  officers,  whom  he  on  his  side  treated  with  just 
that  manner  which  appeared  to  him  most  exasperating  to 
each  of  them.  He  was  immediately  the  most  popular  man 
in  the  place.  He  played  cards  with  the  men,  and  marbles 
with  the  boys;  made  love  to  the  girls,  and  teased  the  old 
women  ;  joked  with  the  soldiers,  especially  with  the  big 
Irish  Sergeant,  Dennis  O'Meara,  and  fought  the  war  over 
with  the  officers.  He  boldly  asserted  that  the  Confeder- 
ates had  been  victorious  in  every  battle  they  had  ever 
fought,  and  had,  as  someone  said,  simply  "worn  them- 
selves out  whipping  the  Yankees,"  a  line  of  tactics  which 
exasperated  even  little  Thurston,  until  he  one  day  sur- 
prised a  gleam  of  such  amused  satisfaction  in  Steve's  gray 
eyes  that  he  afterward  avoided  the  ambuscade  and  enjoyed 
the  diversion  of  seeing  Leech,  and  even  Middleton,  caught. 

Leech  had  been  warned  in  advance  by  Mr.  Still  of 
Steve  Allen's  intention  to  settle  at  the  county  seat,  and  im- 

118 


THE   PROVOST   CATCHES   A   TARTAR  119 

mediately  on  Steve's  arrival  had  notified  him  to  appear  be- 
fore him  as  Provost  and  exhibit  his  parole.  From  that 
time  Steve  had  taken  Leech  as  his  prey.  Knowing  that 
the  Provost  was  not  the  proper  officer,  he  did  not  obey  the 
order,  and  repaid  Leech's  insolence  with  burning  contempt, 
never  failing,  on  occasion,  to  fire  some  shafts  at  him  which 
penetrated  and  stung. 

General  Legaie  and  Dr.  Gary,  after  their  experience  with 
Leech,  determined  to  lose  no  more  time  than  was  necessary 
in  adopting  the  suggestion  of  Captain  Middleton  and 
going  to  see  the  Commandant  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau 
in  the  city.  The  General,  however,  stipulated  that  he 
should  not  be  expected  to  do  more  than  state  his  views  to 
the  officer  in  command.  This  he  was  willing  to  do,  as  he 
was  going  with  Dr.  Gary  to  the  city,  where  the  Doctor  was 
to  see  Mr.  Ledger  and  conclude  the  negotiation  for  a  loan 
to  re-stock  his  plantation. 

It  happened,  however,  that  when  General  Legaie  and 
Dr.  Gary  called  on  Colonel  Krafton,  two  other  visitors  from 
their  county  had  been  to  see  that  officer  :  Hiram  Still  and 
Leech. 

The  two  gentlemen  were  kept  waiting  for  some  time 
after  their  names  had  been  taken  in  by  the  sentinel  be- 
fore they  were  admitted  to  the  Chief  Provost's  presence, 
and  every  minute  of  that  period  the  General  grew  hotter 
and  hotter,  and  walked  up  and  down  the  little  ante-room 
with  more  and  more  dignity. 

"  Dr.  Johnson  before  Lord  Chesterfield,"  said  the 
Doctor,  laughing  at  his  friend's  impatience  and  indigna- 
tion. 

"  Dr.  Johnson  before  a  dog  ! "  was  the  little  General's 
retort.  "  Why,  sir,  I  never,  treated  a  negro  in  my  life 
as  he  has  treated  us." 

At  last,  however,  they  were  admitted. 

The  officer,  a  stout  man  with  closely  cropped  iron-gray 
hair,  a  lowering  brow  and  a  heavy  jaw,  was  seated  at  his 
desk  writing.  He  did  not  look  up  when  they  entered,  but 


120  RED   KOCK 

said,  "  Sit  down,"  and  wrote  on.  When  he  was  through, 
he  called  out,  and  a  sentinel  entered. 

'*  Send  that  off  at  once — or — wait  where  you  are.  I 
may  have  another  to  send."  He  turned  to  the  two  visitors 
who  were  still  standing. 

"Well?" 

"  I  am  Major  Gary,"  that  gentleman  said,  advancing, 
"And  this  is  General  Legaie."  He  howed  gravely. 

"Oh  I  I  know  you,"  said  the  officer.  He  turned  to 
his  desk  and  searched  for  something. 

"  Oh  ! — I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you  before,"  said  the  Doctor,  brightening. 
"  Where  was  it,  sir  ?  I  regret  that  my  memory  has  not 
served  me  better."  He  seated  himself. 

"  I  did  not  say  I  had  met  you — I  said  I  knew  you,  and 
I  do.  I  know  you  both." 

"  Oh  !  I  thought  I  should  not  have  forgotten,"  said  the 
Doctor. 

"  No,  nor  you  won't.  I  have  a  report  of  you,  and  know 
why  you've  come."  He  shook  his  head  as  he  turned  to 
them.  "  I'm  Colonel  Kraf  ton,  Provost  of  this  district,  and 
I  mean  to  be  the  Provost,  and  you  might  as  well  under- 
stand it  now  as  hereafter." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  the  Doctor,  rising  slowly  from  the  seat  he 
had  taken. 

"I  know  about  your  conferences,  and  your  meetings, 
and  the  terms  you  propose  to  dictate  to  me  ;  but  I  will 
show  you  that  I  am  in  authority  here  and  I  don't  propose 
to  be  dictated  to,  either  ;  do  you  understand  ?  I  don't  want 
any  of  your  advice.  When  I  want  you  I'll  send  for  you  ; 
do  you  understand  ?  " 

The  Doctor,  who  had  waited  in  a  sort  of  maze  for  the 
Provost  to  pause,  turned  to  his  friend,  whose  face  was  per- 
fectly white  and  whose  usually  pleasant  eyes  had  a  red  rim 
around  the  irises. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  General  Legaie,  I  thought  we 
should  find  a  gentleman,  but " 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES   A  TAETAR  121 

"  I  never  did,  Major/'  said  the  little  General.  "  But  I 
had  no  idea  we  should  find  such  a  dog  as  this/'  He 
turned  to  the  Provost,  and,  with  a  bow,  fixed  his  eyes  on 
him.  But  that  officer  looked  at  the  sentry  and  said  : 

"Open  tie  door." 

The  General  looked  out  of  it,  expecting  a  file  of  soldiers 
to  arrest  them,  and  straightened  himself  for  the  ordeal. 
There  was  none  there,  however.  The  General's  counte- 
nance fell. 

"  I  said  (  dog, '  but  I  apologize  to  that  animal,  and  say — 
worm  !  "  He  turned  his  eyes  once  more  on  the  Provost. 

"  I  shall  be  at  the  Brandon  tavern  until  the  evening. 
Do  you  understand  that  ?"he  said,  addressing  the  Provost. 
He  stalked  out,  his  nose  high  in  the  air,  his  heels  ringing 
on  the  floor. 

As  soon  as  they  were  outside,  the  Doctor  began  to 
apologize  to  the  General  again ;  but  the  latter,  having 
blown  off  his  steam,  and  fully  appreciating  his  friend's 
mortification,  was  very  handsome  about  it.  He  had  at 
heart  a  sly  hope  that  the  Provost  officer  might  consult 
some  friend  who  would  insist  on  his  taking  up  the  insult, 
and  so  give  him  a  satisfaction  which  he  was  at  that  mo- 
ment very  eager  for.  None  came  that  evening,  however, 
and  as  the  next  day  none  had  come,  the  General  was 
forced  to  return  home  unsatisfied. 

The  effect  of  Dr.  Gary's  and  General  Legaie's  interview 
with  Colonel  Kraf ton  was  shortly  felt  in  the  county. 

A  few  days  later  an  order  came  for  an  inquisition  to 
be  made  from  house  to  house  for  arms.  The  labor  this 
required  was  so  great  that  it  was  divided  up.  In  the 
part  of  the  county  where  General  Legaie  lived,  the  in- 
vestigation was  made  by  Middleton,  who  conducted  him- 
self throughout  with  due  propriety,  even  declaring  it,  as 
General  Legaie  reported,  "an  unpleasant  duty,"  and 
"  taking  in  every  case  a  gentleman's  word,"  never  touch- 
ing a  thing  except,  perhaps,  where  there  would  be  an 
army  musket  or  pistol.  General  Legaie's  old  duelling- 


122  RED    ROCK 

pistols,  which  his  butler,  Julius,  had  hidden  and  taken  care 
of  all  during  the  war,  were  left  unmolested,  and  the  young 
officer  went  so  far  as'  to  express,  the  General  stated,  a 
"  somewhat  critical  admiration  for  them,"  observing  that 
they  were  the  first  genuine  duelling-pistols  he  had  ever 
seen.  On  this  the  General — though,  as  he  declared,  it  re- 
quired all  his  politeness  to  do  so — could  not  but  make  the 
offer  that  in  case  Captain  Middleton  should  ever  have 
occasion  to  use  a  pair  they  were  entirely  at  his  service. 

In  the  Red  Rock  and  Bird  wood  neighborhood,  the 
people  were  not  so  fortunate.  There  the  inquisition  was 
conducted  by  Leech — partly,  perhaps,  because  the  two 
young  officers  did  not  wish  to  pay  their  first  visit  to  Dr. 
Gary's  on  such  an  errand,  and  partly  because  Leech  re- 
quested to  be  allowed  to  assist  in  the  work. 

Though  the  other  officers  knew  nothing  of  it,  Leech  had 
two  reasons  for  wishing  to  conduct  the  search  for  arms  at 
Dr.  Gary's.  He  had  not  forgotten  Dr.  Gary's  action  and 
look  the  day  of  the  trial.  The  other  reason  was  hatred  of 
Steve  Allen.  ' '  I'll  show  him  what  I  can  smell,"  he  said  to 
Still,  who  smiled  contentedly. 

"It  won't  do  to  fool  with  him  too  much,  personally," 
Still  warned  himr  <f  He's  a  dangerous  man.  They're  all 
of  'em  dangerous,  you  hear  me." 

"  III  show  'em  who  I  am,  before  I'm  through  with  ?em," 
said  Leech. 

Thus  the  inquisition  for  arms  was  peculiarly  grateful  to 
Leech. 

Leech  had  a  squad  of  men  under  his  command,  which 
made  him  feel  as  if  he  were  really  an  officer,  and  he  gave 
them  orders  as  though  he  were  leading  them  to  a  battle. 
He  intimated  that  they  might  be  met  with  force,  and  as- 
serted that,  if  so,  he  should  act  promptly.  On  riding  up  to 
the  Doctor's  a  Sabbatic  stillness  reigned  over  everything. 

The  Doctor  was  not  at  home  that  day,  having  gone  to  the 
city  to  see  the  General  in  command  there  about  the  appoint- 
ment of  magistrates  and  other  civil  officers  for  the  county, 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES   A  TARTAR  123 

and,  as  Mrs.  Gary  had  a  sick  headache,  the  blinds  were 
closed,  and  Blair  and  old  Mammy  Krenda  were  keeping 
every  sound  hushed.  It  was  a  soft,  balmy  afternoon,  when 
all  nature  seemed  to  doze.  The  sunlight  lay  on  the  fields 
and  grass,  and  the  trees  and  shrubbery  rustled  softly  in 
the  summer  breeze. 

Flinging  himself  from  his  horse,  the  Provost  banged  on 
the  door  loudly  and,  without  waiting  for  anyone  to  answer 
his  summons,  stalked  noisily  into  the  house  with  his 
men  behind  him.  Both  Blair  and  Mammy  Krenda  pro- 
tested against  his  invading  one  particular  apartment. 
Blair  planted  herself  in  front  of  the  door.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  simple  white  dress,  and  her  face  was  almost  as 
white  as  the  dress. 

"  What's  in  there  ?"  asked  Leech. 

"  Nothing.  My  mother  is  in  there  with  a  sick  headache." 

"  Ah-h-h  ! "  said  Leech,  derisively.  He  caught  Blair 
by  the  arm  roughly.  Blair  drew  back,  the  color  flaming 
in  her  cheeks,  and  the  old  negro  woman  stepped  up  in  her 
place,  bristling  with  anger. 

The  flash  in  the  young  girl's  eyes  as  she  drew  herself  up 
abashed  the  Provost.  But  he  recovered  himself  and,  push- 
ing old  Krenda  roughly  aside,  opened  the  door.  There  he 
flung  open  the  blinds  and  rummaged  in  the  drawers,  turn- 
ing everything  out  on  the  floor,  and  carried  oif  in  triumph 
a  pair  of  old,  horseman's  pistols  which  had  belonged  to  the 
Doctor's  grandfather  in  the  Eevolutionary  War,  and  had 
been  changed  from  flintlock  to  percussion  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  recent  hostilities. 

Leech  had  just  come  out  of  this  room  when  Jacquelin 
Gray  drove  up.  He  stopped  outside  for  a  moment  to  ask 
what  the  presence  of  the  soldiers  meant,  and  then  came 
hobbling  on  his  crutches  into  the  house. 

As  he  entered,  Blair  turned  to  him  with  a  gesture,  partly 
of  relief  and  partly  of  apprehension. 

"Oh,  Jacquelin!"  .The  rest  was  only  a  sob.  The 
blood  flushed  Jacquelin's  pale  face,  and  he  passed  by  her. 


124  BED   BOCK 

"  By  what  authority  do  you  commit  this  outrage  ?"  he 
asked  Leech. 

"  By  authority  enough  for  you.  By  what  authority  do 
you  dare  to  interfere  with  an  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duty,  you  limping,  rebel  dog  ?  If  you  know  what  is  good 
for  you,  you'll  take  yourself  off  pretty  quick."  Leech  took 
in  his  squad  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  encountering 
Jacquelin^s  blazing  eyes  and  a  certain  motion  of  his  crutch, 
moved  a  little  nearer  to  his  men,  laying  his  hand  on  his 
pistol  as  he  did  so. 

Blair  made  a  gesture  to  stop  Jacquelin  ;  but  he  took  no  heed 
of  it.  He  moved  on  his  crutches  nearer  to  the  Provost.  ' 

"I  demand  to  know  your  authority,  dog,"  he  said,  ig- 
noring both  Leech's  threat  and  Blair's  imploring  look. 

"I'll  show  you.  Seize  him  and  search  him,"  said 
Leech,  falling  behind  his  squad  and  adding  an  epithet  not 
necessary  to  be  repeated. 

"  I  am  not  armed  ;  if  I  were — "  said  Jacquelin.  At 
Blair's  gesture  he  stopped. 

"  Well,  what  would  you  do  ?"  Leech  asked  after  wait- 
ing a  moment  for  Jacquelin  to  proceed.  "You  hear  what 
he  says,  Sergeant  ?  "  He  addressed  the  bluff,  red-haired 
Irishman  who  wore  a  sergeant's  chevrons. 

"  Sames  to  me  he  says  nothin'  at  tall,"  said  the  Ser- 
geant, who  was  the  same  man  that  had  had  charge  of  the 
ambulance  in  which  Jacquelin  had  been  brought  home  the 
day  he  arrived,  and  who  had  been  a  little  grumpy  ever 
since  he  had  been  put  under  Leech's  command. 

"  Arrest  him  and  if  he  offers  any  resistance,  tie  him 
securely  to  a  tree  outside,"  ordered  Leech. 

"  Does  Captain  Middleton  know  of  this  ?  "  Jacquelin 
asked  the  Sergeant. 

"  Well,  you  see,  it's  arders  from  headquarrters,  an'  I 
guess  the  Cap'n  thaught  bayin'  a  ferrut  was  a  little  more 
in  his  line."  The  Sergeant  nodded  his  head  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Leech,  who  had  called  the  other  men  and  gone  on 
ostentatiously  with  his  search. 


HE 


CARRIED  OFF  IN  TRIUMPH  A  PAIR  OF  OLD  HORSE-PISTOLS. 


THE   PROVOST   CATCHES   A   TARTAR  125 

Just  then,  however,  the  Provost  encountered  a  fresh 
enemy.  If  Mrs.  Gary  and  Miss  Blair  deemed  it  more  dig- 
nified and  ladylike  to  preserve  absolute  silence  during  this 
invasion,  Mammy  Krenda  had  no  such  inconvenient  views. 
The  old  woman  had  nursed  both  Mrs.  Gary  and  her  daugh- 
ter. She  was,  indeed,  what  her  title  implied,  and  had  all 
her  life  held  the  position  of  a  member  of  the  family.  In 
her  master's  absence  she  considered  herself  responsible,  and 
she  had  followed  Leech  from  room  to  room,  dogging  his 
every  step,  and  now,  emboldened  by  Jacquelin's  presence, 
she  burst  forth,  pouring  out  on  the  Provost  the  vials  of  her 
wrath  which,  instead  of  being  exhausted  by  use,  gathered 
volume  and  virulence  with  every  minute. 

"  Yaas,  I  know  jest  what  sort  you  is,"  she  said,  mock- 
ingly: "you  is  the  sort  o'  houn'-dog  that  ain't  got  sperit 
enough  to  fight  even  a  ole  hyah,  let  alone  a  coon ;  but 
comes  sneakin'  into  folks'  kitchen,  tryin'  to  steal  a  scrap 
from  chillerns'  mouths  when  folks'  backs  air  turned  !  I 
ain't  talkin'  to  you  all,"  she  explained,  with  ready  tact, 
to  the  squad  of  privates  who  showed  in  their  counte- 
nances some  appreciation  of  her  homely,  but  apt  illustra- 
tion ;  "  I  know  you  all's  got  to  do  it  if  you'  marsters  tell's 
you  to.  Nor,  I'm  talkin'  to  him.  I  declare  I'm  right 
glad  my  marster  ain't  at  home  ;  I'm  feared  he'd  sile 
his  shoe  kickin'  yer  dutty  body  out  de  do'."  She  stood 
with  her  arms  akimbo,  and  her  eyes  half-closed  in  de- 
rision. 

This  touch,  with  an  ill-suppressed  snicker  from  one  of 
the  men  behind,  proved  too  much  for  the  leader's  self-con- 
trol, and  he  turned  in  a  rage  : 

"Shut  up,  you  black  hag,"  he  snarled,  angrily,  "or  I'll 
— I'll—"  He  paused,  hunting  for  a  threat  which  would 
appall  her.  "  I'll  tie  you  to  a  tree  outside  and  wear  out  a 
hickory  on  you." 

If  he  thought  to  quell  the  old  woman  by  this,  however, 
he  was  mistaken.  He  only  infuriated  her  the  more. 

"  You  will,  will  you  ! "  she  hissed,  straightening  herself 


126  KED   EOCK 

up  and  walking  up  close  to  him.  "Do  yon  know  what 
wonld  happen  if  yon  did  ?  My  marster  would  cut  your 
heart  out  o'  you ;  but  I  wouldn't  lef '  you  for  him  to  do  it ! 
You  ain't  fitten  for  him  to  tetch.  De  ain'  nobody  uver 
tetched  me  since  my  mammy  whipped  me  last ;  and  she 
died  when  I  was  twelve  years  ole' ;  an'  ef  you  lay  your 
hand  'pon  me  I'll  wear  you  out  tell  you  ain't  got  a  piece  o' 
skin  on  you  as  big  as  dat ! — see  ?  "  She  walked  up  close 
to  him  and  indicating  the  long,  pink  nail  on  her  clawlike 
little-finger,  poked  a  black  and  sinewy  little  fist  close  up 
under  the  Provost's  very  nose. 

"  Now — "  she  panted  :  "  Heah  me  ;  tetch  me  !  " 

But  Leech  had  recovered  himself.  He  quailed  before 
the  two  blazing  coals  of  fire  that  appeared  ready  to  dart  at 
him,  and  recognizing  the  fact  that  even  his  men  were 
against  him  and,  like  Jacquelin,  were  secretly  enjoying  his 
discomfiture,  he  angrily  ordered  them  out  of  the  house 
and  concealed  as  best  he  could  his  consuming  inward 
rage. 

Incensed  by  Jacquelin's  look  of  satisfaction  at  the  old 
mammy's  attack,  Leech  took  him  along  with  him,  threat- 
ening him  with  dire  punishment  for  interfering  with  a 
Union  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty ;  but  learning 
from  the  Sergeant  that  Jacquelin  was  "a  friend  of  the 
Captain's,"  he  released  him,  assuring  him  of  the  fortunate 
escape  he  had,  and  promising  him  very  different  treat- 
ment "  next  time."  Jacquelin  returned  no  answer  what- 
ever until  at  the  end,  when  he  said,  looking  him  deep  in 
the  eyes,  "  It  may  not  be  next  time,  you  clog ;  but  some 
time  will  be  my  time." 

When  Dr.  Gary  reached  home  that  evening,  both  Mrs. 
Gary  and  Blair  congratulated  themselves  afresh  that  he 
had  been  absent  during  the  Provost's  visit.  The  first 
mention  of  the  man's  conduct  had  such  an  effect  on  him 
that  Mrs.  Gary,  who  had  already  interviewed  both  her 
daughter  and  the  mammy  on  the  propriety  of  giving  a 
somewhat  modified  account  of  the  visitation,  felt  it  neces- 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR  127 

sary  to  make  even  yet  lighter  of  it  than  she  had  intended. 
The  Doctor  grew  very  quiet,  and  his  usually  pleasant  mouth 
shut  close,  bringing  his  chin  out  strongly  and  giving  him 
an  uncommonly  stern  appearance.  Mrs.  Gary  whipped 
around  suddenly  and  gave  the  matter  a  humorous  turn. 
But  the  Doctor  was  not  to  be  diverted ;  the  insolence  of 
Leech's  action  to  Blair,  and  of  penetrating  into  his  wife's 
chamber,  had  sunk  in  deeply,  and  a  little  later,  having  left 
his  wife's  sick-room,  he  called  up  tjie  mammy.  If  Mrs. 
Gary  possessed  instincts  and  powers  of  self-control  which 
enabled  her  to  efface  her  sense  of  injury  in  presence  of  a 
greater  danger,  the  old  servant  had  no  such  cultivated  fac- 
ulty. At  the  first  mention  of  the  matter  by  the  Doctor, 
her  sense  of  injury  rose  again,  her  outraged  pride  came 
to  the  surface  once  more,  and  in  the  presence  of  him 
to  whom  she  had  always  looked  for  protection  her  self- 
control  gave  out. 

She  started  to  tell  the  story  lightly,  as  she  knew  her 
mistress  wished  done,  but,  at  the  first  word,  broke  down 
and  suddenly  began  to  whimper  and  rock. 

When  it  had  all  come  out  between  sobs  of  rage  and  mor- 
tification, her  master  sent  her  away  soothed  with  a  sense 
of  his  sympathy  and  of  the  coming  retribution  which  he 
would  exact. 

When  the  Doctor  saw  Mrs.  Gary  again,  he  was  as  placid 
as  a  May-morning,  perhaps  more  placid  than  usual.  He 
thought  himself  very  clever  indeed.  But  no  man  is  clever 
enough  to  deceive  his  wife  if  she  suspects  him,  and  Mrs. 
Gary  read  him  as  though  he  had  been  an  open  book.  As  a 
result,  before  he  left  her  room  she  had  exacted  a  promise 
from  him  not  under  any  circumstances  to  seek  a  personal 
interview  with  Leech,  or  even  to  go  to  the  court-house  for 
some  time. 

The  story  of  the  old  negro  woman's  terrible  tongue-lash- 
ing of  the  Provost  got  abroad.  He  had  attempted  to  use 
both  command  and  persuasion  to  prevent  his  men  from 
telling  it,  but  even  the  bribery  of  a  free  treat  at  a  store  on 


128  RED   EOCK 

the  roadside,  which  was  a  liberality  he  had  never  been 
known  to  display  before,  failed  to  secure  the  desired  secrecy, 
and  the  story  reached  the  court-house  almost  as  quickly  as 
he.  Sergeant  O'Meara  related  it  to  the  camp  with  great 
gusto. 

"  Bedad  ! "  said  he,  <f  the  ould  woman  looked  like  wan 
of  theyse  little  black  game-burruds  whan  a  dog  comes 
around  her  chicks,  with  her  fithers  all  oop  on  her  back 
and  her  wings  spraid,  and  the  Liftenant — if  he  is  a  Lif ten- 
ant, which  I  don't  say  he  is,  moind — he  looked  as  red  as 
a  turkey-cock  and  didn't  show  much  moor  courege.  She 
was  a  very  discriminatin'  person,  bedad  !  She  picked  me 
out  for  a  gintleman  and  the  sutler  for  a  dog,  and  bedad  ! 
she  wasn't  far  wrong  in  ayether.  Only  you're  not  to  say 
I  towld  you,  for  whan  a  gintleman  drinks  a  man's  whiskey 
it  doesn't  become  him  to  tell  tales  on  him." 

Perhaps  it  was  well  for  Mr.  Jonadab  Leech  that  the 
matter  got  abroad,  for  it  gave  the  incident  a  lighter  turn 
than  it  otherwise  would  have  had.  As  it  was,  there  was 
a  storm  of  indignation  in  the  county,  and  next  day  there 
were  more  of  the  old  Confederate  soldiers  in  the  village 
than  had  been  there  since  the  war  closed.  In  their  gray 
uniforms,  faded  as  they  were,  they  looked  imposing. 
Leech  spent  the  day  in  the  precincts  of  the  camp.  A 
deputation,  with  Steve  Allen  at  their  head,  waited  on 
Middleton  and  had  a  short  interview  with  him,  in  which 
they  told  him  that  they  proposed  to  obey  the  laws,  but 
they  did  not  propose  to  permit  ladies  to  be  insulted. 

"  For  I  tell  you  now,  Captain  Middleton,"  said  Steve, 
"  before  we  will  allow  our  women  to  be  insulted,  we  will 
kill  every  man  of  you.  We  are  not  afraid  to  do  it."  He 
spoke  as  quietly  as  though  he  were  saying  the  most  ordi- 
nary thing  in  the  world.  Middleton  faced  him  calmly. 
The  two  men  looked  in  each  other's  eyes,  and  recognized 
each  other's  courage. 

"Your  threat  has  no  effect  on  me,"  said  Middleton; 
"  but  I  wish  to  say  that  before  I  will  allow  any  woman  to 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR  129 

be  insulted,  I  will  kill  every  man  in  my  command. 
Lieutenant  Leech  is  not  in  my  command,  though  in  a 
measure  subject  to  my  authority  ;  but  the  matter  shall  be 
investigated  immediately." 

What  occurred  in  the  interview  which  took  place  be- 
tween Middleton  and  Leech  was  not  known  at  the  time, 
but  that  night  Leech  sent  for  Still  to  advise  him.  Even 
the  negroes  were  looking  on  him  more  coldly. 

"  I  knows  if  he  lays  his  han'  'pon  me,  Fm  gwine  to  cut 
his  heart  out  'n  him,"  said  a  tall,  black  young  negro  in  the 
crowd  as  Leech  passed,  on  his  way  to  his  office.  It  was 
evidently  intended  for  Leech  to  hear.  Leech  had  not  then 
learned  to  distinguish  black  countenances  and  he  did  not 
yet  know  Jerry. 

Still  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  "  These  quality-nig- 
gers ain't  used  to  bein'  talked  to  so,"  he  explained  to  Leech  ; 
"and  they  won't  stand  it  from  nobody  but  quality. 
They're  just  as  stuck  up  as  their  masters,  and  you  can't 
talk  to  'em  that  way.  You  got  to  humor  'em.  The  way 
to  manage  'em  is  through  their  preachers.  Git  Sherrod 
and  give  him  a  place  in  the  commissary.  He's  that  old 
hag's  son-in-law,  and  he's  a  preacher.  I  always  manage  'em 
through  their  preachers." 

The  result  of  taking  Still's  advice,  in  one  way,  so  far  sur- 
passed Leech's  highest  expectation,  that  he  could  not  but 
admit  that  Still  was  a  genius.  One  other  appointment 
Still  suggested,  and  that  was  of  a  negro  who  had  be- 
longed to  the  Grays  and  who  was  believed  to  have  as 
much  influence  with  the  devil  as  Sherwood  had  in  the 
other  direction.  "  And,"  as  Still  said,  "  with  Jim  Sherrod 
to  attend  to  Heaven  and  Doctor  Moses  to  manage  t'other 
place,  I  think  me  and  you  can  sorter  manage  to  git  along 
on  earth. 

"  You've  got  to  do  with  them,"  he  added,  sinking  his 
voice  almost  to  a  whisper.  "  For,  as  I  told  you,  you've 
got  to  work  your  triggers  up  that  a- way."  He  waved  his 
hand  toward  the  North.  "  If  you  can  git  the  money  you 


130  BED  KOCK 

say  you  can,  I  can  make  it  over  and  over  fer  you  faster 
than  nigger-tradin'.  You  jest  git  Krafton  to  stand  by  you 
and  that  old  feller  Bolter  to  stake  us,  and  we're  all  right. 

"  You've  got  to  git  rid  of  this  young  Captain.  One  of 
you's  got  to  go  some  time,  and  the  one  as  holds  out  longest 
will  win.  'Twon't  do  to  let  him  git  too  strong  a  hold 
down  here. — Now  this  party  they're  gittin'  up  ?  If  they 
invite  your  young  men — you  might  work  that  string. 
But  you  can't  quarrel  with  him  now.  You  say  he's  in 
with  your  Mrs.  Welch.  Better  work  the  nigger  racket. 
That's  the  strong  card  now.  Git  some  more  boxes  from 
Mrs.  Welch  and  let  me  put  'em  where  they'll  do  most  good. 
Niggers  loves  clo'es  mo'  than  money.  Don't  fall  out  with 
your  young  man  yet — keep  in  with  a  man  till  you  have 
got  under-holt,  then  you  can  fling  him." 

Meantime,  while  this  conference  was  going  on,  Middle- 
ton  was  in  a  far  less  complacent  frame  of  mind.  He  had 
just  left  the  camp  that  afternoon  and  was  on  his  way  to 
his  quarters,  when,  at  a  turn  in  the  street,  he  came  on  a 
group  of  young  gentlemen  surrounding  a  young  lady  who 
was  dressed  in  a  riding-habit,  and  was  giving  an  animated 
account  of  some  occurrence.  As  soon  as  he  turned  the 
corner,  he  was  too  close  on  them  to  turn  back  ;  so  he 
had  to  pass.  He  instantly  recognized  Miss  Gary,  though 
her  back  was  toward  him  :  the  trim  figure,  abundant  hair, 
and  musical  voice  were  not  to  be  forgotten. 

"  I  don't  think  you  need  any  guard,  so  long  as  you  have 
Mammy  Krenda,"  laughed  one  of  the  young  men. 

"  No,  with  her  for  the  rank  and  file,  I  am  just  waiting 
for  Captain  M —  I  mean  to  meet  him  some  day,  and " 

"  Hush — here  he  is  now." 

"  I  don't  care."    She  tossed  her  head. 

Middleton  could  not  help  hearing  what  she  said,  or  see- 
ing the  gesture  that  stopped  her. 

He  passed  on,  touching  his  cap  to  one  or  two  of  the 
young  men,  who  returned  the  salute.  But  Miss  Gary  took 
no  more  notice  of  him  than  if  he  had  been  a  dog. 


THE'  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR          131 

Thurston  had  reached  their  room  a  little  before  Middle- 
ton  arrived.  He  was  in  unusually  good  spirits,  having 
just  relieved  his  mind  by  cursing  Leech  heartily  to  Miss 
Dockett,  and  thus  re-establishing  himself  with  that  young 
lady,  who  had  been  turning  her  back  on  him  ever  since  she 
had  heard  of  the  incident  at  Birdwood.  In  reward  for 
this  act  of  reparation,  the  young  lady  had  condescended  to 
tell  Lieutenant  Thurston  of  the  entertainment  which  the 
young  people  proposed  to  get  up ;  and  the  little  officer  had 
made  up  his  mind  that,  if  possible,  he  and  Middleton 
should  be  invited.  He  had  just  lit  his  pipe  and  was,  as 
he  said,  laying  out  his  campaign,  when  Middleton  en- 
tered and,  tossing  his  sword  in  a  corner,  without  a  word, 
lit  a  cigar,  flung  himself  in  an  armchair  and  gazed  moodily 
out  of  the  window.  The  Lieutenant  watched  his  friend 
in  silence,  with  a  more  serious  look  on  his  face  than  usu- 
ally found  lodgement  on  that  cheerful  countenance.  The 
cloud  remained  on  Middleton's  brow,  but  the  Lieutenant's 
face  cleared  up,  and  presently,  between  the  puffs  of  his 
pipe,  he  said  : 

"  Larry,  you  need  the  consolations  of  religion." 

Middleton,  without  taking  his  eyes  from  the  distance, 
turned  his  cigar  in  his  mouth  and  remained  silent. 

"  And  I'm  going  to  make  you  sit  under  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  pious  Mr.  Langs  tuff " 

"Foolstuff!"  growled  Middleton,  turning  his  eye  on 
him. 

"  — For  your  soul's  good  and  your  eyes'  comfort,"  con- 
tinued the  Lieutenant  placidly.  "  For  they  do  say,  Larry, 
that  he  preaches  to  the  prettiest  lot  of  unrepentant,  stony- 
hearted, fair  rebels  that  ever  combined  the  love  of  Heaven 
with  the  hatred  of  their  fellow-mortals.  You  are  running 
to  waste,  Larry,  and  I  must  utilize  you." 

"  Jackass  ! "  muttered  Middleton,  but  he  looked  at 
Thurston,  who  smoked  solemnly. 

"For  they  say,  Larry,  there's  going  to  be  a  dancing- 
party,  and  we  must  be  there,  you  know." 


132  RED   ROCK 

Middleton's  face,  which  had  begun  to  clear  up,  clouded 
again. 

"  What's  the  good  of  it  ?  Not  one  of  'em  would  speak 
to  us.  I  met  one  just  now — and  she  looked  at  me — they 
all  look  at  me,  or  by  me — as  if  I  were  a  snake  ! " 

"  As  you  are,  Larry — a  snake  in  the  grass,"  interjected 
the  little  Lieutenant.  "  Pretty  ?  " 

"As  a  peach — Can't  you  be  serious  a  minute?" — for 
Thurston's  eyes  were  twinkling.  "  Every  one  looks  as  if 
she  hated  me." 

"As  they  ought  to,  Larry;  for  you're  their  enemy." 
Thurston  settled  back  with  his  pipe  between  his  lips,  and 
chuckled  to  himself.  "  You  ought  to  see  the  way  they 
look  at  me,  Larry.  I  know  you,  Alexander.  You're  not 
satisfied  with  your  success  with  Miss  Ruth,  and  Miss  Rock- 
field,  and  every  other  girl  in  the  North,  but  you  must 
conquer  other  worlds ;  and  you  sigh  because  they  don't 
capitulate  as  soon  as  they  see  your  advance-guard." 

"  Don't  be  an  ass,  Thurs  ! "  Middleton  interrupted. 
"  You  know  as  well  as  I,  that  I  never  said  a  word  to  Ruth 
Welch  in  my  life — or  thought  of  doing  so.  When  her 
father  was  wounded  so  badly,  it  happened  that  I  had  a 
scratch  too,  and  I  saw  something  more  of  her  than  I  other- 
wise should  have  done,  and  that  is  all  there  is  about  it. 
Besides,  we  are  cousins,  and  you  know  how  that  is.  Her 
mother  would  have  seen  me  in  perdition  before  she  would 
have  consented  to  anything  between  us  ;  and  as  to  Edith 
Rockfield— 

But  the  little  Lieutenant  did  not  care  about  Miss  Rock- 
field.  It  was  Miss  Welch  he  was  interested  in.  So  he 
cut  in,  breaking  into  a  snatch  of  a  song  : 

"  Sure,  Kate  Riley  she's  me  cousin. 
Harry,  I  have  cousins  too ; 
If  ye  like  such  close  relations, 
I  have  cousins  close  as  you." 

He  slipped  down  farther  in  his  chair,  his  heels  up  on 
the  table,  and  his  hands  clasped  above  his  curly  head. 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR  133 

"  If  you  don't  stop  that  howling,  old  Mrs.  Dockett  will 
come  and  turn  you  out  again,"  growled  Middleton. 

"  Not  me,  Larry,  my  dear.  I  can  warble  all  I  like  now. 
I'm  promoted." 

"Promoted  !     How?" 

"  Don't  you  see  I  sit  next  to  the  butter,  now  ?  " 

"  Fool ! — But  I'm  used  to  being  treated  with  a  reason- 
able degree  of  civility  ;  "  Middleton  went  on,  as  if  he  had 
not  been  interrupted,  "  and  I've  put  myself  out  more  to 
be  polite  here  than  I  ever  did  in  my  life,  and  yet,  by  Jove  ! 
these  little  vixens  turn  up  their  noses  at  me  as  if — as  if — 
Why,  they  look  as  if  they  felt  about  me  precisely  as  I 
feel  about  Leech  ! " 

He  looked  out  of  the  window  gloomily,  and  his  friend 
watched  him  for  a  moment  with  an  amused  expression  in 
his  blue  eyes. 

"  Larry,  they  don't  know  what  great  men  we  are,  do 
they  ?  You  know  that's  one  of  the  things  that  has  always 
struck  me  ?  I  wonder  how  girls  can  have  such  a-  good 
time  when  they  don't  know  me.  I  suppose  it's  the 
ignorance  of  the  poor  young  things  !  But  they  shall 
know  me  and  you,  too.  We'll  give  the  girls  a  treat  next 
Sunday  ;  we'll  go  to  church,  and  later  to  the  ball." 

' i  Church  !     You  go  to  church  ! " 

The  Captain  turned  his  head  and  looked  at  his  friend 
with  such  blank  amazement  that  the  Lieutenant  actually 
colored. 

"Yes,"  he  nodded.  "You  d d  Pharisee! — you 

think  you  are  the  only  one  that  knows  anything  about 
church,  because  that  little  gir —  cousin  of  yours — con- 
verted you  ;  you're  nothing  but  a  Dissenter  anyhow.  But 
I'm  a  churchman,  I  am.  I've  got  a  prayer-book — some- 
where— and  I've  found  out  all  about  the  church  here. 
There's  an  old  preacher  in  the  county,  named  Longstuff  or 
Langstuff  or  something,  and  he  preaches  once  a  month  at 
the  old  church  eight  or  ten  miles  above  here,  where  they 
say  all  the  pretty  girls  in  the  country  congregate  to  pray 


134  BED   KOCK 

for  the  salvation  of  Jeff  Davis  and  the  d nation  of  the 

Yankees— poor  misguided,  lovely  creatures  that  they  are  ! 
— as  if  we  weren't  certain  enough  of  it  anyhow,  without 
their  making  it  a  subject  of  their  special  petition.  I'm  go- 
ing to  have  a  look  at  'em.  We'll  have  our  trappings  rubbed 
up,  and  I'll  coach  your  dissenting,  condemned  soul  on  the 
proper  church  tactics,  and  we'll  have  the  handsomest  pair 
of  horses  in  the  county  and  show  'em  as  fine  a  pair  of  true- 
riding,  pious  young  Yanks  as  ever  charged  into  a  pretty 
girl's  heart.  We'll  dodge  Leech  and  go  in  as  churchmen. 
That's  one  place  he's  not  likely  to  follow  us.  What  do 
you  say  ?  Oh,  I've  got  a  great  head  on  me  !  I'll  be  a 
general  some  day  ! " 

"  If  you  don't  get  it  knocked  off  for  your  impudence," 
suggested  Middleton. 

So  the  equipments  were  burnished  up  ;  the  horses  were 
curefully  groomed  ;  the  uniforms  were  brushed  and  pressed 
afresh,  and  when  Sunday  morning  came,  the  two  young  offi- 
cers, having  dodged  Leech,  who  had  been  trying  all  the 
week  to  find  out  what  was  on  foot,  rode  off,  in  full  and  daz- 
zling panoply,  like  conquering  young  heroes,  to  impress,  at 
least,  the  fairer  portion  of  their  "  subjects,"  as  Thurston 
called  them.  They  were,  in  fact,  a  showy  pair  as  they 
rode  along,  for  both  men  were  capital  horsemen,  little 
Thurston  looking  at  least  a  foot  higher  on  his  tall  bay 
than  when  lifted  only  by  his  own  short,  plump  legs  ;  and 
on  their  arrival  at  church,  which  they  purposely  timed  to 
occur  after  the  services  should  have  begun,  they  felt  that 
they  could  not  have  been  more  effective. 

The  contrast  between  them  and  the  rest  of  the  assem- 
blage was  striking.  The  grove  about  the  church  was  well 
filled  with  animals  and  vehicles  ;  but  all  having  a  worn 
and  shabby  appearance  :  thin  horses  and  mules,  and  rick- 
ety wagons,  with  here  and  there  an  old  carriage  standing 
out  among  them,  like  old  gentlemen  at  a  county  gather- 
ing. A  group  of  men  under  one  of  the  trees  turned  and 
gazed  curiously  at  the  pair  as  they  rode  up  and  tied  their 


THE   PROVOST   CATCHES   A  TARTAR  135 

showy  horses  to  "  swinging  limbs,"  and  then  strode  si- 
lently toward  the  church,  where  the  sound  of  a  chant, 
not  badly  rendered,  told  that  the  services  were  already  be- 
gun. 

The  entrance  of  the  blue-coats  created  quite  as  much  of 
a  sensation  as  they  could  have  expected,  even  if  the  signs 
of  it  were,  perhaps,  not  quite  as  apparent  as  they  had  an- 
ticipated, and  they  marched  to  a  vacant  seat,  feeling  very 
hot  and  by  no  means  as  effective  as  they  had  proposed  to 
do.  Little  Thurston  dropped  down  on  his  knees  and  bowed 
his  head,  and  Middleton,  with  a  new  feeling  of  Thurston's 
superior  genius,  followed  his  "  tactics." 

This  was  good  generalship,  for  no  one  could  know  that 
the  two  young  reprobates  were  mopping  their  perspiring 
faces  and  setting  every  button  straight,  instead  of  being 
bowed  in  reverential  devotion.  No  one  entered  their  pew, 
and  they  were  left  alone.  Several  who  came  in  the  church 
after  them,  and  might  have  turned  to  their  pew,  on  seeing 
the  blue  uniforms,  passed  by  with  what  looked  very  like  a 
toss  of  the  head.  But  what  Thurston  called  his  "  straight 
flush  "  was  when  he  drew  out  his  prayer-book — which  he 
had  found  "  somewhere  " — and  began  to  follow  the  ser- 
vice, in  a  distinctly  reverential  voice. 

As  many  eyes  were  bent  on  them  at  this  as  had  been 
directed  to  them  when  they  first  appeared,  and  Miss 
Thomasia,  adjusting  her  spectacles  to  satisfy  herself  beyond 
doubt  if  her  eyes  were  not  deceiving  her,  dropped  them  on 
the  floor  and  cracked  one  of  the  glasses.  For  the  idea  of 
a  Yankee  soldier  using  a  prayer-book  had  never  occurred 
to  any  female  member  of  that  congregation  any  more  than 
it  had  that  a  certain  distinguished  being  used  it,  popularly 
supposed  to  be  also  clad  in  blue  uniform,  of  sulphurous 
flame.  The  favorable  impression  made  by  this  move  was 
apparent  to  the  young  men,  and  Middleton  stepped  on 
Thurston's  toe,  so  heavily  as  almost  to  make  him  swear  with 
pain,  trying  at  once  to  convey  his  admiration  and  to  call 
Thurston's  attention  to  a  very  pretty  young  girl  in  the 


136  BED   ROCK 

choir,  whose  eyes  happened  to  fall  that  way,  and  whom  he 
indicated  as  Miss  Gary.  Steve  Allen  was  with  her  now, 
singing  out  of  the  same  book  with  her,  as  if  he  had  never 
thrown  a  card  or  taken  a  drink  in  his  life. 

The  self-gratulation  of  the  two  officers  was,  however, 
of  brief  duration.  The  next  moment  there  was  a  heavy 
tread  and  a  sabre-clatter  behind  them,  and  turning  with 
the  rest  of  the  congregation  to  look,  there  was  Leech 
stalking  up  the  aisle.  He  made  directly  toward  the 
officers,  and  had  Middleton  been  at  the  entrance  of  the 
pew  he  might,  perhaps,  in  the  frame  of  mind  into  which 
the  sight  threw  him,  have  openly  refused  the  new-comer 
admittance.  Thurston,  however,  was  nearer  the  entrance, 
and  nothing  of  the  kind  occurred.  He  simply  moved  down 
to  the  door  of  the  pew,  and  was  so  deeply  immersed  in  his 
devotions  at  that  particular  instant,  that  even  the  actual 
pressure  of  Leech's  hand  on  his  arm  failed  to  arouse  him, 
and  the  Provost,  after  standing  a  moment  waiting  for  him 
to  move,  stepped  into  a  pew  behind,  and  sat  down  in  the 
corner  by  himself. 

The  change  in  sentiment  created  by  the  Provost's  ap- 
pearance was  strong  enough  actually  to  be  felt  by  the 
young  men,  and  Middleton  looked  in  Thurston's  eyes  with 
such  helpless  rage  in  his  own  that  the  little  Lieutenant 
almost  burst  out  laughing,  and  had  to  drop  his  prayer- 
book  and  stoop  for  it  to  compose  himself. 

Still  the  congregation  was  mystified.  It  was  pretty  gen- 
erally supposed  that  it  was  not  mere  piety  which  brought 
the  young  officers  there.  Some  thought  it  was  to  insult 
them  ;  some  to  show  oil  their  fine  horses — some  suggested 
that  it  was  to  watch  and  report  on  their  old  rector,  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Langstaff,  one  of  the  best  and  Godliest  of  men,  whose 
ardor  as  a  Confederate  was  only  equalled  by  his  zeal  as  a 
Christian.  But  Steve  Allen — speaking  with  the  oracular 
wisdom  of  a  seer,  who,  in  addition  to  his  prophetic  power, 
has  also  been  behind  the  scenes — declared  that  they  had 
come  to  look  at  the  pretty  girls,  and  further  avowed  that 


THE  PROVOST  CATCHES  A  TARTAR  137 

he  didn't  blame  them,  because  there  were  the  prettiest 
girls  in  the  world,  right  in  that  church,  and,  as  for  him, 
he  was  ready  to  walk  right  up,  on  the  spot,  with  any  one  of 
them,  from  Miss  Thomasia  to  Miss  Blair,  and  Mr.  Lang- 
staff  could  settle  the  whole  matter  for  them,  in  five  min- 
utes. Though,  of  course,  he  added,  if  General  Legaie  had 
any  preference,  he  himself  would  waive  his  privilege  (as 
having  spoken  first)  and  let  the  General  lead  the  way,  as 
he  had  often  done  before  on  occasion.  To  which  proposal, 
made  in  the  aisle  after  church,  when  the  weekly  levee  was 
held,  the  General  responded  that  he  was  "quite  ready  to 
lead  so  gallant  a  subaltern,  if  Miss — "  his  eye  sought 
Miss  Thomasia's  placid  face — ' '  ah  !  if — any  lady  could  be 
found,"  etc. 

Steve  was  right — he  very  often  was,  though  frequently  he 
concealed  his  wisdom  in  an  envelope  of  nonsense. 

It  was  conceded  after  the  young  officers  had  ridden  away, 
that  they  had  "  acted  decently  enough,  but  for  those  odious 
blue  uniforms,"  and  had  showed  no  sign  beyond  nudg- 
ing each  other  when  Mr.  Langstaff  prayed  for  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Confederate  States,  with  an  unction  only 
equalled  by  the  fervor  with  which  the  entire  congregation 
had  responded  "Amen" — at  least,  that  the  first  two  of 
them  had  showed  no  sign.  The  third,  however,  had  proved 
what  they  were.  To  be  sure,  he  had  come  after  the  others, 
and  they  had  evidently  tried  to  make  it  appear  as  if  they 
wished  to  avoid  recognizing  him,  and  had  gone  away  alone. 
But  what  did  that  prove  ?  Were  they  not  all  alike  ?  And 
even  if  the  Provost  had  sat  in  a  pew  by  himself,  and  did 
not  have  a  uniform  exactly  like  the  others,  he  had  never 
even  bowed  during  the  prayers,  but  had  sat  bolt  upright 
throughout  the  whole  service,  staring  around.  And  when 
the  President  was  prayed  for,  had  he  not  scowled  and  en- 
deavored to  touch  his  companions  ?  What  if  they  had 
appeared  to  ignore  him  ?  Might  not  this  be  all  a  part  of 
their  scheme  ?  And,  as  someone  said,  "when  the  hounds 
were  all  in  a  huddle,  you  could  not  tell  a  good  dog  from 


138  KED  ROCK 

a  bad  one."  This  simile  was  considered  good  by  most  of 
the  male  members  of  the  congregation ;  but  there  were 
dissenters.  Mrs.  Gray  remembered  that  those  two  young 
men  sent  Jacquelin  home  the  day  he  arrived ;  and  the 
General  remembered  the  civility  of  one  of  them  in  the 
performance  of  a  most  disagreeable  duty  ;  Miss  Thomasia 
recalled  the  closely  followed  prayer-book,  and  some  of  the 
other  ladies  objected  to  hunting  similes  at  church. 

However,  when,  after  service,  the  two  young  officers 
left  the  church  and  marched  straight  to  their  horses,  even 
without  the  presence  of  Leech  to  offend  them — for  they 
had  clearly  told  him  they  did  not  wish  his  company — 
they  were  far  less  composed  than  their  martial  mien  and 
jingling  spurs  might  have  appeared  to  indicate. 


CHAPTER  XII 

CAPTAIN  ALLE^  TAKES  THE  OATH  OF  ALLEGIANCE  AND 
JACQUELIN  GRAY  LOSES  HIS  BUTTONS  AND  SOME 
OLD  PAPERS 

THE  absence  of  all  civil  government  and  the  disorgani- 
zation of  the  plantations  were  producing  great  inconven- 
ience. Much  thieving  was  going  on  everywhere,  and  there 
was  beginning  to  be  an  unwonted  amount  of  lawlessness : 
sheep  and  hogs  were  being  stolen,  and  even  horses  and 
cattle.  Dr.  Gary  and  Mr.  Bagby  united  with  some 
others  of  the  more  conciliatory  men  in  the  State,  to  re- 
quest the  establishment  of  some  form  of  government,  and 
a  sort  of  provisional  civil  government  was  shortly  estab- 
lished in  the  country.  Mr.  Dockett  was  appointed  Clerk 
of  the  county,  Dr.  Gary  was  commissioned  a  magistrate 
in  his  district,  and,  at  his  solicitation,  Andy  Stamper  was 
appointed  constable. 

Meanwhile,  Steve  Allen  had  become  the  most  promi- 
nent citizen  of  the  county  seat.  He  had  taken  an  old 
building  in  one  corner  of  the  court-green,  and  his  office 
soon  became  the  most  popular  place  of  resort  in  the 
village,  for  the  young  men.  It  was  rumored  that  some- 
thing other  than  law  was  practised  in  Steve's  office,  and 
the  lights  often  burned  till  daybreak,  and  shouts  of 
laughter  came  through  the  open  windows.  Stories  got 
abroad  of  poker-parties  held  there  in  the  late  hours  of  the 
summer  nights.  Neither  Middleton  nor  Thurston  had 
ever  been  invited  there,  for  Steve  still  held  himself  stiffly 
with  the  two  officers,  but  an  incident  occurred  which  sud- 
denly broke  down  the  barrier. 

139 


140  RED   ROCK 

Steve  had  never  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance.  This  was 
not  known  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  the  court-house,  and 
he  had  started  in  to  practise  law,  and  had  gone  on  without 
any  question  as  to  it  ever  being  raised,  until  Still  notified 
Leech.  "  If  you  could  git  up  a  row  between  him  and  your 
young  man,  Middleton,"  said  he,  "  you  might  get  rid  of 
one  enemy,  maybe  two  ;  for,  I  tell  you,  he  won't  stand  no 
foolin'.  Make  Middleton  make  him  take  the  oath.  I 
don't  believe  he'll  do  it — I  b'lieve  he'll  go  away  first." 
Leech  summoned  Steve  to  exhibit  his  parole ;  and  on  his 
failing  to  obey,  laid  the  matter  before  Middleton. 

When  Leech  disclosed  the  object  of  his  visit,  Thurston 
was  lounging  in  an  armchair,  with  his  pipe.  He  started 
up.  Was  it  possible  that  such  a  flagrant  violation  of  the 
law  had  been  going  on  ?  He  gazed  at  the  Provost  blandly. 

"  It  was  and  is,"  said  Leech,  sententiously.  "  This  man 
never  misses  an  opportunity  to  treat  the  Government  and 
its  representatives  with  contempt." 

"I  have  heard  so,"  said  Thurston,  adopting  Leech's 
tone.  "  I  have  heard  that  he  has  even  said  that  some  of 
the  representatives  of  the  Government  were  a  stench  in 
their  own  nostrils." 

Leech  winced  and  glanced  at  Thurston ;  but  he  was  as 
innocent  as  a  dove. 

"  It  is  time  to  make  an  example  of  him,"  proceeded  the 
Lieutenant,  still  apparently  arguing  with  his  superior. 
"  And  I  think  it  would  be  well  to  have  him  brought  up  at 
once  and  the  most  rigid  oath  administered  to  him.  Why 
should  not  Lieutenant  Leech  administer  it  ?  I  should 
like  to  see  him  do  it,  and  he  might  take  occasion  to  read 
Captain  Allen  a  sound  homily  on  his  duties  as  a  citizen  of 
this  great  Republic  and  his  cause  for  gratitude.  It  might 
lead  him  to  mend  the  error  of  his  ways." 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  pleasing  to  Leech.  He 
jumped  at  the  proposal,  and  said  he  would  give  this  young 
rebel  a  lecture  that  he  would  not  soon  forget,  and  if  he 
refused  to  take  the  oath  would  clap  him  in  jail.  Middle- 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN  TAKES  THE  OATH  141 

ton  assented  and  that  evening  was  set  for  the  ceremony, 
and  Middle  ton  and  Thurston  said  they  would  go  down  and 
see  the  oath  administered. 

That  evening  Steve  was  surprised  to  find  his  office-door 
suddenly  darkened  by  a  squad  of  soldiers  who  had  come  to 
arrest  him  and  take  him  before  the  Provost. 

' '  What  is  it  for  ?  "  Arrests  by  the  Provost  were  not  un- 
common. 

"  To  take  the  oath." 

There  was  a  laugh  at  Steve's  expense  ;  for  it  was  known 
by  his  friends  that  he  prided  himself  on  not  having  yet 
sworn  allegiance  to  the  Government. 

"Go  and  take  your  medicine,  and  pay  me  that  little 
fiver  you  bet  you  would  not  take  it  this  month,"  said  Mc- 
Raffle,  with  a  half  sneer. 

"  Fll  credit  it  on  one  of  your  I  0  IPs,"  said  Steve,  dryly. 

He  was  marched  across  to  the  Provost's  office,  his 
friends  following  to  see  the  issue.  Just  as  they  arrived, 
Middleton  and  Thurston  came  in,  looking  a  little  sheepish 
when  they  found,  as  the  result  of  their  conspiracy,  Steve 
guarded  by  a  file  of  men.  Leech  took  out  a  box  of  good 
cigars  and  offered  them  to  the  officers.  He  did  not  offer 
them  to  anyone  else,  but  laid  them  on  the  table,  and 
with  a  rap  for  silence,  began  his  homily.  He  made  it 
strong  and  long.  He  dwelt  with  particular  emphasis  on 
the  beneficence  of  a  Government  that,  after  a  wicked  re- 
bellion, permitted  rebels  to  return  to  their  allegiance  and 
receive  again  all  the  benefits  of  the  Union — becoming,  in- 
deed, one  with  her  other  citizens.  This  concluded,  he 
tendered  Steve  the  oath.  Everyone  present,  perhaps,  ex- 
pected Steve  to  refuse  to  take  it.  Instead  of  which,  he 
took  it  without  a  word.  There  was  a  moment  of  breath- 
less silence. 

"I  understand  then  that  we  are,  so  to  speak,  now  one?" 
said  Steve,  drawlingly. 

"  Ah  !  yes,"  said  Leech,  turning  away  to  try  to  hide  his 
surprise  from  Thurston. 


142  BED   ROCK 

"Then,  gentlemen,  have  some  of  our  cigars?"  Steve 
took  up  the  box,  lit  a  cigar  himself  and  coolly  handed  them 
around. 

As  he  offered  them  to  Thurston  the  little  Lieutenant 
said  : 

"  Captain,  the  honors  are  yours." 

The  next  moment  Steve  tossed  his  cigar  contemptuously 
out  of  the  door. 

"  Come  over  to  my  office,  gentlemen  ;  I  have  a  box  that 
a  gentleman  has  sent  me.  I  think  they  will  have  a  bet- 
ter flavor  than  these.  Good-evening,  Lieutenant  Leech. 
Will  you  join  us,  gentlemen  ?"  This  was  to  Middleton 
and  Thurston,  and  the  invitation  was  accepted. 

They  adjourned  to  Steve's  "  law-office,"  where  they  pro- 
ceeded to  while  away  the  hours  in  a  manner  which  has 
sweetened,  if  not  made,  many  an  armistice.  Fortune 
from  the  start  perched  herself  on  Steve's  side  as  if  to  try 
and  compensate  him  for  other  and  greater  reverses  ;  and 
at  last  little  Thurston,  having  lost  the  best  part  of  a 
month's  pay,  said  that  if  Leech's  cigars  were  not  as  good 
as  Steve's,  they  were,  at  least,  less  expensive. 

"  You  fellows  don't  know  any  more  about  poker  than  you 
do  about  joking,"  said  Steve,  imperturbably,  as  he  raked 
in  a  pot.  "If  I'd  known  about  this  before,  I  wouldn't 
have  taken  that  oath.  I'd  have  done  like  McRaffle  there. 
This  is  too  easy." 

"  You  play  just  as  much  as  I  do,"  said  McRaffie,  quickly. 

"Yes;  but  in  more  select  company."  Steve  said  qui- 
etly. "  Not  with  boys." 

McRaffle's  cold  face  flushed  slightly,  and  he  started  to 
reply,  but  glanced  quickly  round  the  table  and  reconsid- 
ered. Steve  was  placidly  shuffling  the  cards. 

No  man  likes  to  have  his  poker-game  assailed,  and  Mid- 
dleton and  Thurston  were  no  exceptions. 

"You're  outclassed,  Captain,"  said  Steve.  "I'd  be 
riding  that  whitefoot  bay  of  yours  in  a  week,  if  you  played 
with  me." 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   TAKES   THE   OATH  143 

"  Make  a  jackpot  and  I'll  give  yon  a  chance/'  said  Mid- 
dleton, firing  up. 

Steve,  as  the  winner,  was  not  in  a  position  to  stop.  The 
others  had  warmed  up. 

"  Yes — make  it  a  jackpot,  and  let  that  decide  which  is 
the  biggest  blower,"  laughed  someone. 

Steve  dealt  and  Middleton  looked  pleased,  as  he  well 
might.  None  of  the  others  had  more  than  a  pair,  and 
they  passed  out.  Steve  had  three  hearts  and  a  pair.  He 
was  about  to  throw  the  cards  down  when  he  caught  Mid- 
dleton's  look  of  content,  and  hesitated. 

"  Come  in,"  laughed  Middleton. 

Steve's  fingers  tightened  on  his  cards,  and  Middleton 
discarded  two,  showing  that  he  held  three  of  a  kind. 

"  I've  got  you  beat,"  he  said. 

"  Beat  ?  I  tell  you,  you  don't  know  the  game,"  said 
Steve,  airily.  He  coolly  discarded  his  pair. 

"  I  don't  ?  I'll  bet  you  a  hundred  dollars,  I've  got  you 
beat." 

Steve  picked  up  two  cards.  "I'll  see  you  and  raise 
you,"  said  he.  "  I  bet  you  five  hundred  against  your 
whitefoot  horse  you  haven't." 

"  Done,"  said  Middleton. 

"  Keep  your  horse,  boy,"  said  Steve.  ' '  I  was  the  best 
poker  player  in  my  brigade."  He  leaned  over  to  put  his 
cards  down.  But  Middleton  was  game  and  was  ahead  of 
him. 

"  It's  a  bet,"  he  said,  laying  his  hand  on  the  table. 
There  was  a  sigh  from  the  others  :  he  had  three  aces. 

Steve  laid  his  beside  them,  and  there  was  a  shout.  He 
had  drawn  a  flush. 

"  Now  I'll  buy  the  horse  back  from  you,  if  you  wish 
it  ?  "  said  Middleton. 

"  Thank  you.     I've  promised  him  to  a  lady,"  said  Steve. 

Next  day  Steve  rode  his  new  horse  to  Birdwood  and, 
with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  offered  him  to  Blair. 

"  How  did  you  get  him  ?  "  asked  the  girl. 


144  BED  BOOK 

"  Captured  him,"  laughed  Steve.  ' ( Tell  your  friend 
not  to  play  poker  with  me — or  McRaffle,"  he  added. 

Blair's  eyes  flashed  and  she  attacked  Steve  vigorously. 
She  would  not  have  him  offering  to  present  her  a  part  of 
his  gaming- winnings.  He  was  becoming  a  scandal  to  the 
neighborhood  ;  leading  the  young  men  off. 

"  Young  Larry,  for  instance  ?  "  smiled  Steve.  "  Or 
Captain  McRaffle?" 

"No.  You  know  very  well  whom  I  mean,"  declared 
Blair.  "Rupert  thinks  it  fine  to  imitate  you."  The  smile 
was  still  on  Steve's  face,  and  Blair  paused  to  take  breath  ; 
then  half  closing  her  eyes  as  if  she  were  sighting  care- 
fully— "  And  couples  your  name  with  Captain  McRaf- 
fiVs,"  she  added. 

A  light  of  satisfaction  came  into  her  eyes  as  she  saw 
the  shaft  go  home.  A  deeper  hue  reddened  Steve's  sun- 
browned  face. 

"Who  was  the  young  lady  who  bet  me  not  long 
ago,  against  that  very  horse,  that  she  would  not  dance 
with  a  certain  Yankee  Captain  ?  Where's  her  pious  ex- 
ample ?» 

Blair's  face  flushed.  "  I  did  wrong.  But  I  did  not  ex- 
pect you,  Captain  Allen  who  prides  himself  on  his  chiv- 
alry, to  shelter  himself  behind  a  girl."  She  bowed  low, 
and  turned  away  in  apparent  disdain,  enjoying  the  success 
of  her  shot. 

Just  at  that  moment  Miss  Thomasia  joined  them. 

"What  are  you  two  quarrelling  about  ?  "  The  next  mo- 
ment she  glanced  at  Steve  and  a  troubled  look  came  into 
her  eyes. 

"Nothing.  We  aren't  quarrelling,  are  we  Blair?" 
Steve  held  out  his  hand  in  sign  of  peace. 

"  Yes.     Steve  has  just  charged " 

Steve  began  to  make  signs  to  Blair. 

" — Steve  has  just  charged,"  proceeded  Miss  Blair,  ignor- 
ing his  efforts  to  stop  her,  "  that  all  his  shortcomings  are 
due  to  the  example  set  him  by  a  woman." 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN  TAKES  THE  OATH  145 

"  They  all  do  it,  my  dear,  from  Adam  down/'  said  Miss 
Thomasia,  placidly. 

Her  sex  was  to  be  defended  even  against  her  idol. 

"  There,"  said  Blair,  triumphantly  to  Steve. 

"  It's  a  stock  phrase/'  said  Steve.  "And  what  Fd  like 
to  know  is,  did  not  Adam  tell  the  truth  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  coward  !  he  did.  And  I've  no  doubt  he  tried 
to  keep  poor  Eve  between  him  and  the  angel's  sword. 
Now  you,  at  least  be  as  brave  as  he,  and  tell  Cousin  Tho- 
masia the  truth  and  see  what  she  says." 

Once  more  Steve  began  to  signal  Blair.  But  Miss  Tho- 
masia herself  came  to  his  rescue.  Perhaps,  she  wanted  to 
save  him.  She  began  to  ask  about  Rupert.  She  was  evi- 
dently anxious  about  the  boy. 

Whether  it  was  because  of  what  Blair  said  about  Rupert, 
or  because  of  the  look  of  distress  that  came  in  Miss 
Thomasia's  eyes  at  the  mention  of  the  story  of  Steve's 
playing,  Steve  had  an  interview  with  Captain  Middleton 
shortly  afterward,  and,  as  a  result,  when  he  told  him  the 
dilemma  in  which  he  found  himself,  the  horse  went  back 
into  Middleton's  possession,  until  Middleton  left  the 
county,  when  he  became  Steve's  by  purchase. 

As  time  went  on,  a  shadow  began  to  fall  between 
Jacquelin  and  the  sun.  Steve  was  in  love  with  Blair. 
Steve  was  always  with  her ;  his  name  was  always  on  her 
lips,  and  hers  frequently  on  his.  She  rode  his  horse  :  and 
he  often  came  to  Red  Rock  with  her.  And  as  Jacquelin 
watched,  he  knew  he  had  no  chance.  It  cut  deeper  than 
anyone  ever  knew  ;  but  Jacquelin  fought  it  out  and  won. 
He  would  not  let  it  come  between  him  and  Steve.  Steve 
had  always  been  like  a  brother.  He  would  still  love  Blair. 
This  was  not  forbidden  him.  Not  every  knight  always  won 
his  great  love.  It  was  the  loyalty,  not  the  success,  that  was 
knightly.  If  she  loved  Steve,  he  could  make  her  happier  than 
Jacquelin  himself  ever  could  have  done.  And  Jacquelin, 
if  God  gave  him  power,  would  rejoice  with  them  in  time. 

The  preparations  for  the  contemplated  entertainment 
10 


146  RED   ROCK 

for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  wounded  Confederate  soldiers 
in  the  county  were  already  begun.  It  was  to  be  given  at 
Red  Rock,  and  the  managers  waited  only  for  Jacquelin 
to  recoyer  somewhat  from  a  set-back  he  had  had  after 
his  meeting  with  Leech  at  Dr.  Gary's.  Blair  Gary  had 
offers  from  at  least  a  dozen  escorts ;  but  Steve  was  the 
fortunate  contestant.  Miss  Dockett  was  so  much  inter- 
ested in  her  preparations  that  the  two  lodgers  caught 
the  fever,  and  found  themselves  in  the  position  of  ad- 
mirers and  part  advisers  as  to  a  costume  for  an  enter- 
tainment to  which  they  were  not  considered  good  enough 
to  be  invited.  Little  Thurston  had  to  purchase  a  part 
of  it  in  the  city,  where  he  went  on  a  visit,  and,  truth 
to  tell,  finding  that  the  small  amount  entrusted  to  him 
— which  was  all  that  could  be  got  together  even  by 
Mrs.  Dockett's  diligence,  stimulated  by  her  natural  pride 
in  her  daughter's  first  ball — was  not  sufficient  to  purchase 
material  as  fine  as  he  thought  suited  to  adorn  the  plump 
person  of  a  young  lady  who  had  condescended  to  warble 
with  him,  he  added  to  it  a  small  sum  from  his  own  by  no 
means  over-plethoric  pocket,  and  then  lied  about  it  after- 
ward like  a  trooper  and  a  gentleman. 

"  Well,  I  always  heard  a  Yankee  was  a  good  hand  at  a 
bargain,"  declared  Mrs.  Dockett ;  "but  you  are  the  best  I 
ever  knew."  And  this  was  Thurston's  reward. 

The  officers  had  given  up  hope  of  being  invited  to  the 
assembly,  when  one  evening  two  formal  notes,  requesting 
their  company,  were  brought  by  Steve's  boy  Jerry.  They 
were  signed  simply,  "  The  Committee." 

"  And  now,"  said  Middleton,  ' f  we're  in  a  bigger  hole 
than  before  ;  for  it's  for  the  benefit  of  the  rebels  ;  and  if 
that  gets  out —  But,  perhaps  it  will  not?" 

"  Gets  out  ?  Of  course  it  will  get  out.  Everything  one 
doesn't  want  to  get  out,  gets  out ;  but  yet  we  must  go. 
Does  not  our  high  sense  of  duty  require  us  to  sacrifice  our 
personal  prejudices  so  far  as  to  keep  an  eye  on  this  first 
large  assemblage  of  rebels  ?  " 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   TAKES   THE   OATH  147 

"  Reely,  you're  a  genius/'  said  Middleton,  in  open  ad- 
miration. 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  was  the  Lieutenant's  modest  reply. 

Formal  notes  of  acceptance  were  sent,  and  the  two  young 
officers  were  soon  as  busy  as  anyone  making  their  prepara- 
tions for  their  "summer  campaign/'  as  Thurston  called  it. 
Both  ordered  new  boots,  and  Thurston  a  whole  suit,  for  the 
occasion.  Thurston,  in  the  seclusion  of  their  room,  drilled 
Middleton  sedulously  in  the  Old  Virginia  reel,  so  as  to  as- 
tonish the  native  and,  as  he  profanely  termed  it,  "  make 
sure  of  the  capture  of  the  fish  Middleton  had  found  in  the 
ford." 

An  evening  or  two  later,  the  mail  was  brought  in,  and  in 
it  were  two  official  letters  for  Middleton.  As  he  read  them, 
his  face  fell,  and  he  flung  them  across  to  Thurston,  who, 
as  he  glanced  at  them,  gave  an  ejaculation  hardly  consist- 
ent with  the  high-church  principles  he  so  proudly  vaunted. 

One  was  an  order  forbidding,  for  the  present,  all  public 
gatherings  at  night,  under  any  guise  whatever,  except  in 
churches;  the  other  forbade  the  wearing  of  any  Confederate 
uniform  or  garment  forming  part  of  a  uniform,  or,  at  least 
(as  persons  might  not  have  any  other  clothes  whatever), 
brass  buttons,  braid,  chevrons,  etc.,  which  were  the  insignia 
of  a  uniform.  These  were  to  be  cut  off  or  covered.  These 
were  general  orders,  and  the  officers  in  command  stationed 
throughout  the  country  were  directed  to  see  them  enforced. 

"  This  comes  of  having  a  d — d  tailor  for  President,"  said 
the  little  Lieutenant.  "  I  always  did  hate  'em  ;  and  to 
think  I've  ordered  a  new  uniform  for  it  too  !  Your  wed- 
ding, .Larry,  will  not  come  off  as  soon  as  I  anticipated. 
Well,  there's  one  consolation  ;  one  tailor  will  have  to  wait 
some  time." 

This  view  appeared  to  please  the  Lieutenant  so  much  that, 
as  he  glanced  over  the  orders  again,  he  began  to  whistle, 
while  the  Captain  looked  on  despondently.  The  whis- 
tling grew  louder  as  Thurston  read  on,  and  he  suddenly 
bounced  up. 


148  RED  KOCK 

"  I've  got  it,  Larry.     Are  you  a  Mason  ?  " 

"No.     Why?" 

"  Oh  !  Nothing — I  was  just  thinking  of  that  old  Masonic 
lodge  where  the  chaplain  preached  and  Leech  led  in  prayer. 
You  issue  your  orders — and  leave  me  to  manage  it :  this 
tailoring  part  is  what's  going  to  play  the  deuce.  I  can 
settle  the  other — Fm  a  churchman — I  ought  to  have  been 
a  bishop." 

As  Thurston  foresaw,  it  was  the  order  touching  the  uni- 
forms which  gave  the  greatest  offence,  and  in  the  indigna- 
tion which  this  aroused,  the  other  was  almost  lost  sight  of. 
It  was  intended  to  show  the  negroes,  the  old  residents  said, 
that  the  Southerners  were  completely  in  subjection  to  the 
Federal  authorities.  Which  view  gained  some  ground 
from  the  fact  that  the  orders  were  issued  by  Leech,  who 
appeared  to  be  charged  with  their  enforcement. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  storm  in  the  county. 

The  little  General  made  old  Julius  burnish  up  his  but- 
tons until  they  shone  like  gold,  and  then  rode  into  the  vil- 
lage to  interview  the  officer  in  command.  He  was  stopped 
on  the  street  by  Leech,  and  was  ordered  to  cut  them  off 
immediately  if  he  did  not  wish  him  to  do  it  for  him,  on 
which  the  gallant  old  Confederate  stated  to  that  functionary 
as  placidly  as  he  might  have  returned  an  answer  to  Miss 
Thomasia  on  the  subject  of  roses,  that  if  Leech  so  much  as 
attempted  to  lay  his  hand  on  him,  he  would  kill  him  im- 
mediately ;  and  the  look  in  his  eyes  was  so  resolute  and 
so  piercing  that  Leech,  who  supposed  from  this  that  he 
was  fully  armed,  slunk  away  to  secure  a  squad  of  soldiers 
to  enforce  his  order.  The  General  rode  serenely  on  to 
find  Middleton.  No  one  was  present  at  the  interview.  * 
But  it  became  known  afterward  that  the  General  had 
begun  by  an  intimation  that  he  was  ready  to  renew  his 
polite  offer  of  the  pair  of  duelling  pistols  to  Captain 
Middleton,  if  the  Captain  wished  to  give  a  gentleman  who 
found  himself  temporarily  in  a  somewhat  embarrassing 
position,  a  gentleman's  satisfaction  ;  and  that  he  had  come 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN  TAKES   THE  OATH  149 

away,  not,  indeed,  with  this  satisfaction,  but,  at  least,  with 
renewed  esteem  for  the  young  men,  whom  he  continued  to 
speak  of  as  "  most  gentlemanly  young  fellows";  and  he 
covered  his  buttons  with  cloth. 

Steve  Allen  let  Miss  Thomasia  cover  his  with  crepe, 
and  having  led  Leech  into  questioning  him  as  to  the  rea- 
son for  this,  said  that  it  was  mourning  because  a  certain 
cowardly  hound  had  only  barked  at  Mammy  Krenda  one 
day,  instead  of  attempting  to  touch  her,  and  giving  her 
the  opportunity  to  cut  the  skin  from  him.  Dr.  Gary 
found  his  buttons  cut  off  by  Mrs.  Gary  and  Miss  Blair — 
"  to  prevent,"  Blair  said,  "  their  being  denied  by  sacri- 
legious hands." 

Jacquelin  Gray  was  at  this  time  confined  to  his  lounge, 
by  his  wound  ;  but  it  had  this  drop  of  consolation  for  his 
mother  and  Aunt  Thomasia,  that  so  long  as  he  stayed 
there  he  could  not  be  subjected  to  what  others  underwent. 
They  reckoned,  however,  without  their  host. 

One  afternoon  Leech  rode  into  the  Red  Rock  yard  with  a 
squad  of  soldiers  at  his  back,  and  riding  across  the  grass 
to  the  very  door,  dismounted  and  stamped  up  the  steps, 
and,  without  waiting  for  an  answer  to  his  loud  rap, 
stalked  into  the  hall,  with  his  men  behind  him.  Where  he 
had  come  from  no  one  knew  ;  for  he  had  ridden  in  the 
back  way.  It  transpired  afterwards  that  he  had  stopped 
for  a  minute  at  the  overseer's  house. 

At  the  moment  Leech  appeared  in  the  hall,  Jacque- 
lin was  lying  on  his  lounge,  with  Blair  Gary  and  Rupert 
sitting  beside  him,  and  the  first  he  knew  of  the  Provost's 
presence  was  when  Blair,  with  an  exclamation,  sprang  to 
her  feet.  He  turned  and  faced  Leech  as  he  entered  the 
hall.  The  Provost  appeared  dazed  by  the  scene  before 
him ;  for  scores  of  eyes  were  fastened  on  him  from  the 
walls,  and  he  stood  for  a  moment  rooted  to  the  spot, 
with  his  gaze  fixed  on  the  face  of  the  "Indian-killer" 
over  the  big  fireplace.  That  strange  embodiment  of  fierce 
resolve  seemed  almost  to  appal  him.  The  next  instant, 


150  RED   BOCK 

with  a  gesture,  he  came  forward  to  where  Jacquelin  lay. 
At  the  same  moment  Blair  retired  to  seek  Mrs.  Gray  and 
Miss  Thomasia.  Leech's  eyes  followed  her  as  she  went  out. 

"Well,  sir,  what  do  you  want?"  Jacquelin  asked, 
haughtily. 

"  Take  off  your  coat." 

It  was  the  form  of  order  given  to  negroes  when  they 
were  to  be  thrashed.  Jacquelin's  face  flushed. 

"What  for?" 

"  Because  if  you  don't,  Fll  take  it  off  for  you.  I  mean 
to  cut  these  buttons  off." 

"You  can  cut  them  off."  Jacquelin  had  grown  quiet, 
and  his  face  was  white.  Rupert  drew  nearer  to  him,  his 
cheeks  flushed  and  his  breath  coming  quickly. 

"  I  guess  I  can,"  sneered  the  Provost.  He  came  up  to 
the  lounge,  pushing  Rupert  aside,  who  interposed  between 
them.  He  leaned  over  and  cut  the  buttons  from  the 
jacket,  one  by  one. 

"  I'll  send  these  to  my  girl,"  he  said,  tauntingly — "  Un- 
less you  want  them  for  yours,"  he  added,  with  a  meaning 
laugh.  Jacquelin  controlled  himself  to  speak  quietly. 

"  Tell  your  master  that  some  day  I  will  call  him  to  ac- 
count for  this  outrage." 

"Young  puppies  bark,  but  don't  bite,"  sneered  the 
Provost. 

In  an  instant  Rupert  was  on  him,  and,  boy  as  he  was, 
he  struck  the  Provost  a  blow  which,  taking  him  unawares, 
staggered  him.  Leech  recovered  himself,  however,  and  seiz- 
ing the  boy,  slapped  him  furiously  several  times.  Jacque- 
lin was  011  his  feet  in  a  moment.  He  sprang  toward  the 
Provost,  but  the  men  interposed,  and  he  sank  back  on  his 
lounge,  breathless  and  white. 

"  Hound,  for  that  I  will  some  day  make  a  negro  whip 
you  within  an  inch  of  your  life,"  he  said,  beside  himself. 

Leech  grinned  in  triumph  and,  walking  up,  leant  over 
him  officiously,  as  though  to  see  if  there  were  still  any 
buttons  left. 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN  TAKES  THE   OATH  151 

As  he  did  so,  Jacquelin  raised  himself  and  slapped  him 
across  the  face.  Leech  with  an  oath  sprang  back  and 
jerked  out  a  pistol  ;  and  possibly  but  for  an  accident 
which  gave  time  for  the  intervention  of  his  men,  Jacque- 
lin Gray's  career  would  have  ended  then. 

He  looked  so  cool,  however,  and  withal  so  handsome 
and  intrepid  as  he  lay  back  and  gazed  into  Leech's  eyes, 
denouncing  him  fiercely  and  daring  him  to  shoot,  that 
Leech  hesitated  and  turned  toward  his  men  for  encourage- 
ment. As  he  did  so,  the  door  opened  hastily  and  a  curi- 
ous thing  happened.  The  great  full-length  portrait  over 
the  big  fireplace,  loosened,  perhaps,  by  the  scuffle  with 
Eupert,  or  by  the  jar  of  the  door  as  Mrs.  Gray  and  Miss 
Thomasia,  entered,  slipped  in  its  frame  and  at  the  moment 
that  Leech  turned,  fell  forward,  sending  the  Provost 
staggering  back  among  his  startled  men.  When  Leech 
recovered,  his  men  interfered.  They  were  not  ready  to  see 
a  man  murdered  before  his  mother.  Baffled  in  this,  the 
Provost  determined  on  another  revenge.  He  swore  he 
would  have  Jacquelin  hanged,  and  made  his  men  take  him 
out  and  put  him  on  a  horse.  Jacquelin  was  unable  to  sit 
in  the  saddle,  and  fell  off  in  a  faint.  At  this  moment 
Hiram  Still,  whom  Mrs.  Gray  had  summoned,  came  up 
and  interposed.  At  first,  the  Provost  was  not  amenable 
even  to  Still's  expostulations  ;  but  at  length  he  pressed 
a  wagon  and  had  Jacquelin  put  in  it,  and  hauled  him  off 
to  the  court-house,  to  jail,  still  swearing  he  would  have  him 
hanged.  Mrs.  Gray,  having  sent  off  by  Blair  in  hot  haste 
for  Dr.  Gary  to  follow  her,  directed  Still  to  replace  the 
picture,  ordered  her  carriage,  and,  without  waiting,  set 
out  for  the  court-house,  accompanied  by  Miss  Thomasia 
and  Rupert. 

They  had  hardly  left  when  Still  went  into  the  house  to 
set  the  picture  back  in  its  place.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
group  of  curious,  half -frightened  servants  who,  with  awe, 
alternately  gazed  on  it  and  on  the  yawning  hole  in  the 
wall,  making  comments,  full  of  foreboding.  Still  sent 


152  KED  BOOK 

them  all  off  except  Doan,  whom  he  kept  to  help  him  set 
the  picture  back  in  place.  It  was  necessary  to  get  tip  on  a 
chair  and  lean  half  way  in  the  hole  and  examine  the 
sides  where  the  nails  were  to  be  driven,  and  this  Still  did 
himself,  making  an  examination  of  the  entire  recess,  even 
moving  a  number  of  bundles  of  old  papers. 

"  Ah  !  "  he  said,  with  a  deep  inspiration,  as  he  ran  his 
eye  over  one  bundle,  which  he  laid  off  to  one  side.  He 
sent  Doan  out  to  get  him  some  long  nails,  for,  as  he  ex- 
plained, he  meant  now  to  nail  the  picture  up  to  stand  till 
judgment  day.  The  negro  went  with  a  mutter,  half  timid, 
half  jest,  that  he  wouldn't  stay  in  that  hole  by  himself  not 
for  the  whole  Eed  Rock  plantation  and  every  mule  on  it. 
While  he  was  absent  Still  was  not  idle.  Doan  had  no 
sooner  disappeared  than  the  manager  seized  the  bundle  of 
papers  he  had  laid  to  one  side,  and,  hastily  cutting  the 
string  which  bound  it,  extracted  several  papers. 

"I  thought  I  remembered  which  one  it  was  in/'  he 
murmured.  "  I  didn't  know  when  it  was  put  in  here  as 
Fd  ever  git  hold  of  it  again."  He  held  the  papers  up  so 
as  to  get  the  light  over  his  shoulder  on  them. 

"  Yes,  that's  the  big  bond  with  the  paint  on  it,  payable 
to  me.  I  thought  'twa'n't  cancelled." 

He  was  so  busy  with  the  papers  that  he  did  not  see  the 
faces,  outside  the  window,  pressed  against  the  pane,  or 
hear  Doan  enter,  and  did  not  know  he  had  returned  until 
his  shadow  fell  across  the  hearth.  He  slipped  the  papers 
in  his  pocket  so  hastily  that  one  of  them  fell  out  and 
would  have  fluttered  down  on  the  floor  had  he  not  caught 
it.  He  turned  on  the  negro  : 

"  How  did  you  come  in,  fool  ?  "  he  asked,  with  a  start, 
as  he  rammed  the  paper  back  in  his  pocket. 

"  I  come  in  by  de  do',"  said  Doan,  sullenly. 

The  portrait  was  soon  nailed  back,  this  time  Still  driving 
the  nails  in  to  make  sure  they  wouldn't  come  out  again. 

Meanwhile  the  ladies  were  making  their  way  to  the 
court-house.  It  was  quite  dusk  when  they  reached  the 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN  TAKES  THE  OATH  153 

county  seat  and,  to  their  surprise,  the  wagon  had  not 
yet  arrived.  Miss  Thomasia  was  in  great  distress  over 
it,  and  was  sure  that  Leech  had  executed  his  threat 
against  Jacquelin.  But  Mrs.  Gary,  though  much  disturbed, 
thought  that  more  probably  they  had  taken  another  road 
and  had  travelled  more  slowly.  This,  indeed,  proved  to 
be  the  case,  and  some  hours  later,  Leech  and  his  prisoner 
turned  up. 

Mrs.  Gray  had  not  been  idle.  On  reaching  the  court- 
house she  sent  at  once  for  General  Legaie,  and  drove  to 
Mrs.  Dockett's,  where  she  knew  the  commanding  officer 
had  his  quarters.  There  she  found  the  family  at  supper, 
and  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  no  meal  was  ever  more 
unceremoniously  interrupted.  Mrs.  Dockett  no  sooner 
heard  Mrs.  Gray's  name,  than  she  left  the  table  and  went 
to  receive  her,  and  having  in  the  first  two  minutes  learned 
the  cause  of  her  visit,  she  swept  back  into  the  dining- 
room  and  swooped  down  on  the  two  young  officers,  with  a 
volubility  which,  at  least,  terminated  the  meal,  and  looked 
for  a  little  while  as  if  it  would  also  terminate  the  relation 
of  hostess  and  guest.  She  announced  that  Leech  had 
broken  into  Mrs.  Gray's  house,  assaulted  her  son,  and 
finally  dragged  him  from  his  dying  bed  and,  no  doubt,  had 
murdered  him  in  the  woods.  And  she  summoned  the  two 
officers  to  assert  immediately  their  authority  and  execute 
summary  justice  on  the  Provost,  if  they  ever  wished  to  eat 
another  meal  under  her  roof.  Not  that  Mrs.  Dockett 
really  took  the  view  that  Miss  Thomasia  took,  for  outside, 
she  had  already  reassured  Mrs.  Gray,  giving  her  calmly 
most  excellent  reasons  to  show  that  Leech  would  never 
dare  to  injure  her  son.  But  she  felt  that  she  had  a  war- 
rant for  this  lurid  picture  in  Miss  Thomasia's  forebodings, 
and  she  could  not  resist  the  pleasure  of  presenting  it  in 
all  its  blackness.  Fortunately,  Middleton,  with  his  quiet 
manner,  could,  when  he  chose,  be  impressive  enough. 
He  listened  to  Mrs.  Gray's  statement  calmly;  was  very 
grave,  but  very  polite  to  her,  and  though  he  did  not 


154  BED   KOCK 

promise  to  release  her  son,  or  indicate  what  would  be  done 
in  the  matter,  he  assured  her  that  Jacquelin  should  have 
proper  treatment  on  his  arrival,  and  promised  that  she 
should  have  access  to  him. 

Suddenly  Kupert,  who  had  been  crying  on  the  way  down 
whenever  he  could  do  so  unobserved,  stepped  forward  from 
behind  his  mother,  where  he  had  been  standing. 

' '  I  struck  him  first,  and  I  am  the  one  to  hang,  not  my 
brother."  His  face  which  had  been  red  when  he  began, 
paled  suddenly,  and  his  lip  quivered  a  little  ;  but  his  head 
was  held  straight  and  his  eyes  were  steady  and  were  filled 
with  light. 

Mrs.  Gray  started  to  speak  ;  but  her  voice  trembled  and 
failed  her,  and  she  could  only  hold  out  her  hand  to  the 
boy.  Middleton's  eyes  softened. 

"  No  one  will  be  hanged,"  he  said.  Then  added,  grave- 
ly :  "  But  you  shouldn't  have  struck  him." 

"  He  called  my  brother  a  puppy,"  said  the  boy,  defiantly, 
his  eyes  flashing,  "  and  I'll  let  no  one  do  that — not  you, 
nor  anyone." 

That  night  Thurston  said  to  Middleton  : 

"  Gad,  Larry,  I  said  I  ought  to  be  a  bishop,  but  you 
ought  to  be  one — the  way  you  preached  to  that  boy,  and 
I'd  give  a  thousand  dollars  for  him." 

"  I  wish  you  were  Captain,"  growled  Middleton. 

' '  He  looked  like  a  little  game-cock,  didn't  he  ?  " 

"When  the  prisoner  arrived,  about  midnight,  under  his 
guard,  everything  was  found  ready  for  his  reception,  and 
his  mother  was  detailed  to  nurse  him,  to  which,  probably, 
was  due  the  failure  of  Leech's  and  one  other's  plan. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

SIEVE    ALLEN"    LEARNS    MISS    THOMASIA^S    SECRET    AND 
FORSWEARS   CARDS 

THE  roughness  of  the  treatment  Jacquelin  had  received 
at  Leech's  hands  caused  his  wound  to  break  out  afresh,  and 
for  a  time  he  was  seriously  ill.  But  he  had  some  compen- 
sations. Every  girl  in  the  neighborhood  deemed  him  her 
especial  favorite  and  charge.  And  from  time  to  time,  in 
the  door  walked,  floated,  or  entered  somehow,  a  goddess ; 
and  with  her  came  heaven.  Her  entrance  was  always  a 
miracle  ;  she  lit  up  the  room,  radiance  took  the  place  of 
gloom  ;  the  racked  nerves  found  a  sudden  anodyne,  and  in 
the  mere  joy  of  her  presence,  Jacquelin  forgot  that  he  was 
crippled.  She  read  to  him,  sat  by  him,  soothed  him, 
talked  with  him,  sympathized  with  him,  turned  darkness 
into  light,  and  pain,  at  least,  into  fortitude.  How  divinely 
tender  her  eyes  could  grow  as  some  sudden  paroxysm 
wrung  his  nerves,  and  brought  a  flush  to  his  wan  cheek  ! 
How  solicitous  was  her  voice  !  How  soft  her  touch  !  And 
how  much  she  knew  !  As  much  as  Aunt  Thomasia  !  How 
could  a  young  girl  have  read  so  much  !  It  stimulated 
Jacquelin,  and  he  began  to  emulate  her,  as  in  old  days, 
until  reading  became  a  habit. 

Under  these  influences  Jacquelin  actually  began  to  get 
well. 

Middleton  passed  by  one  evening  and  saw  the  young  girl 
sitting  on  the  rose-bowered  veranda,  by  Jacquelin's  lounge, 
reading  to  him.  The  soft  cadences  of  a  charming  voice 
were  borne  to  him  murmurously.  A  strange  pang  of  loneli- 
ness shot  through  him.  That  far-away  visit  in  the  past 
seemed  to  rise  up  before  him,  and  the  long  years  were  sud- 

155 


156  BED   ROCK 

denly  obliterated.  He  was  back,  a  visitor  at  a  beautiful 
old  country  -  place,  where  joy  and  hospitality  reigned. 
Jacquelin  was  a  handsome,  bright-faced  boy  again,  and 
Blair  was  a  little  girl,  with  those  wonderful  eyes  and  con- 
fiding ways.  Middleton  wondered  if  he  should  suddenly 
turn  and  walk  in  on  them,  with  a  reminder  of  that  old 
time,  how  they  would  receive  him.  He  was  half-minded 
to  do  it,  and  actually  paused.  He  would  go  in  and  say, 
"Here,  the  war  is  over — let's  be  friends."  But  suddenly  a 
man  passed  him  and  glanced  up  in  his  face  and  saluted. 
It  was  Leech,  and  Middleton  saw  him  look  across  to 
where  the  invalid  and  his  fair  young  nurse  sat  on  the 
shaded  veranda,  and  knew  what  his  thoughts  were.  The 
spell  was  broken.  Middleton  stepped  down  from  romance 
to  the  hard  ground  of  reality,  and  passed  on  to  give  his 
orders  for  the  evening. 

Jacquelin's  arrest  and  illness  had  come  near  breaking  up 
the  entertainment  (a  name  which  had  been  substituted  for 
ball,  to  meet  the  scruples  of  Miss  Thomasia  and  some  other 
pious  ladies).  But  this  Jacquelin  would  on  no  account 
hear  of.  Besides,  after  the  order  forbidding  public  gath- 
erings at  night,  it  would  look  like  truckling.  As,  how- 
ever, in  the  family's  absence,  the  assembly  could  not  be 
held  at  Eed  Rock,  it  was  decided  to  have  it  at  the  court- 
house, where  Jacquelin  now  was.  This  concession  was 
made  ;  the  largest  and  best  building  there  for  such  an  en- 
tertainment was  one  used  as  a  Masonic  hall,  and  occasion- 
ally as  a  place  for  religious  services.  This  hall  was  se- 
lected. Who  was  responsible  for  its  selection  was  not 
actually  known.  Thurston  told  Middleton  that  when  he 
said  he  ought  to  have  been  a  bishop,  he  placed  his  abilities 
far  too  low — that  really  he  ought  to  have  been  a  pope. 
But  he  did  not  appear  in  the  matter  at  all  except  to  meet 
the  objections  raised  by  Leech,  and  to  silence  that  official 
by  an  allusion  to  his  recent  pious  ministrations  in  that 
building.  Steve  Allen  was  the  chief  advocate  of  the  hall, 
and  took  the  lead  in  its  selection  and  also  in  its  defence  ; 


STEVE   ALLEN   FORSWEARS   CARDS  157 

for  some  objection  was  made  by  others  than  Leech  to  hav- 
ing a  party  in  this  building,  and  on  very  different  grounds. 
Miss  Thomasia  and  some  others  who  were  not  entirely  sat- 
isfied anyhow  about  dancing,  thought  that  it  was  certainly 
more  likely  to  be  wrong  in  a  room  which  had  been  some- 
times used,  however  rarely,  for  religious  services,  and  it 
took  some  skill  to  overrule  their  objections.  Thurston 
said  to  Mrs.  Dockett  that  it  had  never  been  consecrated. 
"So  far  from  it/'  said  Mrs.  Dockett,  ""it  has  been  dese- 
crated." (The  last  service  held  in  it  had  been  held  by  a 
Union  chaplain,  who  had  come  up  from  town  and  preached 
in  it  to  the  soldiers,  with  Leech  on  the  front  bench.) 

Miss  Thomasia,  being  for  once  in  accord  with  both 
Thurston  and  Steve,  gave  in,  and  actually  lent  her  aid  and 
counsel,  at  least  so  far  as  related  to  the  embellishment  of 
the  hall,  and  of  some  who  were  to  attend  there.  She  vent- 
ured her  advice  to  Steve  in  only  one  matter  relating  to 
the  outside.  Having  found  him  at  work  one  evening, 
making  a  short  rustic  bench  to  be  placed  under  one  of  the 
trees  in  the  yard,  she  said  she  hoped  he  did  not  intend  that 
for  two  people,  and  that  young  man  scandalously  replied 
that  he  was  making  it  short  on  purpose  for  her  and  the 
General ;  and,  in  the  face  of  her  offended  dignity,  impu- 
dently added  that  the  General  had  engaged  him  to  do  it, 
and  had  given  him  the  measurements. 

"  Steve  Allen,  I  am  too  old  for  you  to  talk  to  me  so/' 
said  Miss  Thomasia. 

"'Taint  me,  Cousin  Thomasia;  'tis  the  General,"  per- 
sisted Steve,  and  then,  as  the  little  faded  lady  still  re- 
mained grave  and  dignified,  he  straightened  up  and  glanced 
at  her.  Stepping  to  her  side,  he  slipped  his  arm  round 
her,  like  a  big  stalwart  son,  and,  looking  down  in  her 
face  with  kindly  eyes,  said,  tenderly  : 

"  Cousin  Thomasia,  there  aren't  any  of  'em  like  you  now- 
adays. They  don't  make  'em  so  any  more.  The  mould's 
broken."  He  seated  the  little  lady  gently  on  the  bench, 
pleased  and  mollified,  and  flung  himself  on  the  grass  at  her 


158  RED   ROCK 

feet,  and  the  two  had  a  long,  confidential  talk,  from  which 
both  derived  much  comfort,  and  Steve  much  profit  (he 
said).  At  least,  he  learned  something  new,  and  when  as 
the  dew  began  to  fall  Miss  Thomasia  rose,  it  was  with  a 
better  insight  into  the  nature  of  the  reckless  young  fel- 
low ;  and  Steve,  on  his  part,  had  a  new  feeling  for  Miss 
Thomasia,  and  led  her  in  with  a  new  tenderness.  For 
Miss  Thomasia  had  told  the  young  man,  what  she  had  never 
admitted  to  a  soul  in  all  her  life — that  the  reason  the  Gen- 
eral, or  anyone  else,  had  never  won  her  was  that  long  ago 
her  heart  had  been  given  to  another — "  the  handsomest, 
most  brilliant  man  I  ever  saw/'  she  said — who  had  loved 
her,  she  believed,  with  all  his  soul,  but  had  not  been  strong 
enough  to  resist,  even  for  her  sake,  the  temptation  of  two 
besetting  sins — drink  and  gambling — and  she  had  obeyed 
her  father,  and  given  him  up. 

Steve  was  lying  full  length  on  his  back  at  her  feet,  his 
face  turned  to  her,  and  his  clasped  hands  under  his  head. 

"  Cousin  Thomasia,  who  was  he,  and  what  became  of 
him  ?  "  he  asked,  gently. 

"  He  was  your  father,  Steve,  and  you  might  have 
been — "  The  voice  was  so  low  that  the  young  man  did 
not  catch  the  last  word.  He  unclasped  his  hands,  and 
placed  one  forearm  quickly  across  his  face,  and  lay  quite 
still  for  a  minute  or  two.  Then  he  moved  it.  Miss  Thoma- 
sia was  sitting  quite  motionless,  her  eyes  in  her  lap,  and 
with  the  fading  light  of  the  evening  sky  slanting  under 
the  trees  and  resting  on  her  face  and  soft,  silvered  hair. 
She  sighed  so  softly  it  might  have  been  only  breathing. 

"  I  never  knew  it/3  said  Steve,  gently  ;  "  but  I  might 
have  known/' 

He  rose  slowly,  and  leaning  over  her,  kissed  her  ten- 
derly, and  she  laid  her  head  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  Steve,  now  you  know." 

And  Steve  said,  yes,  and  kissed  her  again  like  a  son. 

"  Cousin  Thomasia/'  he  said,  presently,  "  I  will  not  say 
I  will  never  driuk  again ;  but  I  will  promise  you  not  to 
gamble  again,  and  I  will  not  drink  to  excess  any  more/' 


STEVE   ALLEN   FORSWEARS   CARDS  159 

"  Oh  !  Steve,  if  you  knew  how  I  have  prayed  for  you  ! " 
said  the  little  lady,  softly. 

"Well,  maybe,  Cousin  Thomasia,  this  is  in  answer  to 
it,"  said  Steve,  half  seriously. 

There  was  as  much  preparation  for  the  entertainment 
as  there  had  ever  been  in  the  old  times  for  the  greatest 
ball  given  at  Red  Rock  or  Birdwood.  Some  of  the  guests 
from  distant  neighborhoods  came  several  days  before- 
hand to  be  in  time,  or  to  help  superintend,  and  stayed 
at  the  houses  of  their  friends  near  the  county  seat.  Even 
the  General's  bachelor  establishment  was  transformed  for 
the  occasion  into  a  nest  of  doves,  who,  it  was  said,  put 
up  more  little  knick-knacks  than  he  had  ever  seen,  and 
made  the  old  fellow  more  comfortable  than  he  had  ever 
been  before  in  all  his  life. 

Thus  the  little  village,  which  for  some  time  had  been 
hardly  more  than  a  camp,  over-run  with  negro  camp-fol- 
lowers, suddenly  took  on  a  new  air  and  freshened  up,  with 
young  girls  in  cool  dresses  and  big  hats  on  the  streets,  or 
making  pleasant  groups  under  the  trees  in  the  yards  on 
the  slopes  outside  the  hamlet,  from  which  laughter  and 
singing  to  the  music  of  guitars  floated  down  to  the  village 
below.  The  negroes  themselves  joined  in,  and  readily 
fell  into  old  habits,  putting  themselves  in  the  way  of  the 
visitors,  whom  they  overwhelmed  with  compliments,  and 
claims,  and  offers  of  service. 

Amid  this,  Middleton  and  Thurston  went  in  and  out 
quietly,  attending  to  their  duties,  drilling  and  inspecting 
and  keeping  their  eyes  open,  less  for  treason  than  for 
the  pretty  girls  who  had  come  suddenly  upon  them  like 
flowers  after  a  spring  rain.  They  met  a  few  of  them  casu- 
ally, either  through  Steve  Allen  or  Mrs.  Dockett,  whose 
house  was  filled  with  them ;  but  the  new-comers  treated 
them  with  such  undeniable  coolness  that  there  was  little 
encouragement  to  prosecute  the  acquaintance.  Even 
plump  Miss  Dockett  stiffened  perceptibly,  and  treated 
Lieutenant  Thurston  with  more  severity  than  she  had  ever 
exhibited  since  he  had  made  those  wonderful  bargains. 


160  RED  ROCK 

Only  one  man  in  the  whole  village  appeared  absolutely 
out  of  humor  over  the  stir  and  preparations,  and  that  was 
Leech.  The  plan  which  he  and  Still  had  laid  down  to 
prevent  the  assembly  having  failed,  Leech  determined  to 
break  it  up,  at  all  hazards.  Still  was  in  constant,  if  secret, 
conference  with  him.  They  had  told  Sherwood  and  Moses 
that  they  could  prevent  it.  If  it  were  held  in  spite  of 
them,  it  would  prove  that  they  were  less  powerful  than 
they  pretended  to  be. 

Leech  would  go  to  town  and  obtain  a  peremptory  order 
forbidding  this  very  meeting. 

"  Have  it  made  out  so  you  can  give  it,  yourself/'  coun- 
selled Still.  "  Wait  till  the  last  minute  and  then  spring 
it  on  'em.  We'll  show  'em  we're  not  to  be  treated  as  they 
please.  They  don't  know  me  yet,  but  they  soon  will.  I've 
got  that  as  will  make  some  of  'em  wince.  I'll  show  'em 
who  Hiram  Still  is."  He  tapped  his  pocket  significantly. 

So  it  was  decided,  and  Leech  went  off  to  the  city  to  use 
his  influence  with  Colonel  Krafton,  while  Still  was  to  pre- 
pare a  foundation  for  his  interference,  through  the  negro 
leaders,  Sherwood,  Moses,  and  Nicholas  Ash. 

That  evening  there  was  a  little  more  stir  among  the 
negroes  about  the  court-house  than  had  been  observed 
before.  Sherwood  and  Moses  were  there,  sent  down  by 
Still,  and  that  night  they  held  a  meeting — a  religious 
meeting  it  was  called — at  which  there  was  some  singing 
and  praying,  and  much  speaking  or  preaching — the  two 
preachers  being  Sherwood  and  Moses.  They  could  be 
heard  all  over  the  village,  and  at  length  their  shouting  and 
excitement  reached  such  a  pitch  and  attracted  so  much 
attention  that  some  of  the  residents  walked  down  to  the 
place  where  they  were  congregated,  to  look  into  the  matter. 
Moses  was  speaking  at  the  moment,  mounted  on  an  im- 
promptu platform,  swaying  his  body  back  and  forth,  and 
pouring  forth  a  doctrine  as  voluble  in  words  as  it  was  vio- 
lent in  sound  and  gesture,  whilst  his  audience  surged  around 
him,  swaying  and  shouting,  and  exciting  themselves  into  a 


STEVE   ALLEN   FORSWEARS   CARDS  161 

sort  of  wild  frenzy.  The  white  men  who  had  gathered, 
listened  silently  and  sullenly  to  the  sounds  rising  in 
unison  with  the  speaker's  voice.  Some  were  of  the 
opinion  that  he  ought  to  be  stopped  at  once  and  the 
meeting  broken  up,  and  there  were  plenty  of  offers  to  do 
it.  A  more  prudent  head,  however,  had  adopted  an- 
other course.  Dr.  Cary,  who  happened  to  be  in  the 
village  that  night,  hearing  what  was  going  on,  and  know- 
ing what  might  occur  at  any  moment,  called  on  the  officer 
in  command,  and  stated  to  him  the  danger  of  a  collision. 
Captain  Middleton  walked  down  to  the  meeting  with  him 
to  make  his  own  observation.  Only  a  few  moments 
sufficed.  The  violence  of  the  speaker,  who  was  now  danc- 
ing back  and  forth ;  -the  excitement  of  the  dusky  crowd 
pressing  about  him  ;  the  gathering  of  white  men  on  the 
edge  of  the  throng,  speaking  in  low,  earnest  tones,  their 
eyes  turned  to  the  speaker,  suggested  prompt  measures. 

"Don't  de  Book  say,  as  we  shall  inherit  the  uth  ?" 
cried  the  speaker,  and  his  audience  moaned  and  swayed 
and  shouted  in  assent. 

"  An'  ain't  de  harvest  white  fur  de  laborer  ?" 

"Yas — yas,"  shouted  the  audience.  "White  fur  de 
laborer  ! " 

"  Unless  you  stop  them,  Captain,  we  shall ;  for  we  know 
that  it  is  necessary  and  that  it  will  be  a  kindness  to  them," 
said  the  Doctor,  quietly  ;  and  the  officer  recognizing  the 
necessity,  though  he  little  understood  the  Doctor's  full 
meaning,  assented  promptly.  He  pushed  his  way  through 
the  throng,  followed  by  the  Doctor.  He  stopped  the  speak- 
er and  mounted  the  platform,  and  in  a  few  words  forbade 
any  further  speaking  and  ordered  the  crowd  to  disperse, 
which  it  did  almost  immediately,  dissolving  like  magic 
before  the  officer's  order.  Then  he  turned  to  the  speaker, 
and  with  a  sharp  reprimand  for  his  action  commanded 
him  to  leave  the  village.  The  trick-doctor  cringed,  and 
with  a  whine  of  acquiescence  bowed  himself  off. 

11 


CHAPTER  XIV 

LEECH   SECURES  AN   OEDER  AND   LOSES  IT 

WHEN  Leech  returned  from  the  city,  next  day,  he  was  in 
such  good  spirits  that  Steve  and  Thurston  both  arrived  at 
a  similar  conclusion,  and  decided  that  there  was  some  mis- 
chief brewing.  Steve  called  Jerry  and  had  a  talk  with 
him. 

About  sunset  Leech  mounted  his  horse  at  his  stable  and 
rode  out  of  the  village  through  a  back  lane.  He  was  to 
meet  Still  that  night  at  Nicholas  Ash's.  Still  and  his 
son  met  him  according  to  appointment,  and  the  details  of 
their  plan  were  arranged. 

Leech  found  that  he  had  an  ally  stronger  than  he  had 
dreamed  of.  Still  showed  him  that  he  was  a  much  richer 
man  than  he  had  ever  admitted.  He  not  only  held  the 
bonds  of  Dr.  Gary,  given  for  the  money  he  had  lent  the 
Doctor,  and  a  bond  of  his  late  employer,  Mr.  Gray,  of 
which  Leech  already  knew  ;  but  he  held  another  bond  of 
Mr.  Gray  for  an  amount  large  enough  to  swallow  up  his 
entire  estate.  Leech  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes.  Mrs. 
Gray  did  not  know  of  its  existence  ;  but  the  bond  was  un- 
doubtedly genuine.  Mrs.  Gray  herself,  Still  said,  would 
admit  that.  He  had  a  satisfactory  explanation  for  her  ig- 
norance, as  well  as  for  the  fact  that  he  had  never  before 
mentioned  to  Leech  that  he  held  so  large  a  claim  against 
the  Gray  estate.  He  had  made  the  money  by  negro-trading 
quietly,  before  the  war,  and  had  lent  it  to  Mr.  Gray  to 
stock  a  plantation,  which  he,  as  Mr.  Gray's  agent,  had 
bought  for  him  in  the  far  South.  And  he  had  not  men- 
tioned it  to  Mrs.  Gray  or  anyone  else  for  a  very  simple 

162 


LEP;CH   SECURES   AN   ORDER   AND   LOSES   IT      163 

reason.  He  had  promised  Mr.  Gray  that  he  would  never 
trouble  Mrs.  Gray  about  the  bonds  during  her  life. 

Leech  did  not  believe  this  ;  but  there  were  the  bonds — 
one  a  small  one,  and  one  a  very  big  one,  and  Still  had  of 
late  hinted  several  times  at  something  that  he  was  storing 
up  for  the  proper  moment. 

"  I  told  you  I  didn't  care  if  you  killed  that  young 
Jacquelin  that  night/'  he  laughed.  "  Why  didn't  you  do 
it  ?  I  must  say  I  never  allowed  that  he'd  git  thar  alive." 

"Neither  did  I,"  suggested  Leech.  "And  I  believe  it 
did  him  good." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Still,  enigmatically ; 
"  but  I  wouldn't  'a'  shed  no  tears  over  him.  But  if  you  do 
as  I  tell  you,  we'll  git  even  and  have  a  leetle  somethin'  to 
spare.  You  just  work  Krafton  and  get  your  friends  to 
back  you,  and  you  and  me'll  own  this  county.  I'll  see 
that  Moses  is  there  on  time,  if  he  don't  have  an  inch  of 
skin  left  on  him." 

A  rumor  had  meantime  got  abroad  at  the  county  seat 
that  an  order  had  been  secured  by  Leech  forbidding  the 
assembly,  and  that  though  Middleton  knew  nothing  of  it 
as  yet,  Leech  would  spring  it  at  the  proper  time  and  try 
to  prevent  the  assembly.  There  was  much  excitement 
over  it.  A  number  of  young  men  dropped  in  at  Steve 
Allen's  office  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  report,  and 
there  was  a  rather  general  expression  of  opinion  that  the 
ball  would  take  place  whether  Leech  had  such  an  order 
or  not. 

"  Go  and  ask  Middleton,  directly,"  advised  Jacquelin, 
and  Steve  did  so.  Middleton  said  he  had  no  knowledge  on 
the  subject,  and  knew  of  no  one  to  whom  such  an  order 
should  be  addressed  except  himself. 

Jerry,  who  was  lounging  sleepily  not  far  from  Leech's 
office,  was  called  in  by  Steve  and  interrogated  again  with 
sundry  forcible  intimations  of  what  would  happen  in  case 
he  should  be  deceiving  him.  But  Jerry  was  firm.  He 
reiterated  again  and  again  his  fervent  wish  for  a  speedy 


164  BED   KOCK 

dissolution  and  a  perpetual  condemnation  of  the  most 
lurid  character,  if  every  word  he  had  spoken  were  not 
more  than  true.  Leech,  he  declared,  had  the  paper  in  his 
pocket,  and  had  read  it  to  Sherwood  and  Moses  and  Nich- 
olas in  his  back  office,  and  was  going  to  deliver  it  to  Cap- 
tain Middleton  next  day,  the  day  set  for  the  entertainment. 

( '  I  lies  to  urrers  ;  but  the  Cun'l  knows  I  wouldn'  lie  to 
him,"  protested  Jerry,  in  final  asseveration. 

"  That's  so — he  knows  better,"  said  Steve  ;  and  Jerry, 
with  a  grin,  went  back  to  his  post  in  sight  of  Leech's 
back  door. 

Steve,  with  a  new  light  in  his  face,  went  up  to  Mrs. 
Dockett's  and  had  a  little  talk  with  Miss  Dockett  and  one 
or  two  of  the  young  ladies  there,  and  in  ten  minutes,  with 
locked  doors,  they  were  busy  sewing  for  life.  It  must 
have  been  something  very  amusing  they  were  engaged  in, 
to  judge  from  the  laughter  that  floated  down  from  their 
windows. 

That  night  Hiram  Still,  with  his  son,  was  on  his  way 
back  to  Red  Rock  from  his  meeting  with  Leech,  while 
Leech  was  riding  back  to  the  court-house. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  and  the  moon  was  covered  by 
clouds  ;  Leech  was  riding  along,  thinking  of  the  plans 
he  had  formed  and  the  manner  of  publishing  his  order, 
and  of  the  effect  it  would  have  in  establishing  his  posi- 
tion in  the  county.  He  had  got  within  a  mile  or  two  of 
the  village  when,  in  a  little  "bottom"  in  a  lonely  piece 
of  woods,  just  before  reaching  a  fork  in  the  road,  there 
was  an  owl-hoot  behind  him,  and  another,  as  if  in  response, 
a  little  ahead  of  him.  The  next  moment  his  horse  started 
violently,  as  a  dark  object  which  Leech  had  noticed  when 
still  at  a  distance  from  it,  but  thought  merely  a  bush, 
moved  out  into  the  road  immediately  before  him.  His 
heart  jumped  into  his  throat,  for  it  was  not  like  anything 
earthly.  In  the  darkness,  it  looked  as  much  like  a  small 
elephant  with  a  howdah  on  it,  as  anything  else ;  but  he  did 
not  have  time  to  think  much  about  it,  for  the  next  instant 


LEECH   SECURES   AN   ORDER  AND   LOSES   IT       165 

it  was  close  on  him  right  across  the  road,  a  huge  muffled 
figure  on  a  high,  shapeless  beast.  Leech's  horse  snorted  and 
wheeled.  Another  figure  was  behind  him,  closing  in  on 
him.  Leech  pulled  in  his  frightened  horse;  for  somewhere 
about  the  middle  of  the  dark  figure  lowering  above  him 
there  was  a  momentary  flash  of  steel.  Leech  thought  of 
his  own  pistol,  but  the  great  figure  moved  closer  to  him, 
very  close  to  him,  and  stopped.  Not  a  word  was  said. 
The  figure  simply  sat  in  front  of  him,  silent  and  motion- 
less, while  the  other  moved  up  on  the  other  side  and  did 
the  same.  Leech's  tongue  was  sticking  to  his  mouth. 
The  stillness  and  silence  were  more  awful  than  any  words 
could  have  been.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  his  lips  could 
scarcely  frame  the  words.  Presently  he  managed  to  falter  : 

"What  do  you  want  ?" 

There  was  no  answer,  and  again  the  silence  became  worse 
than  ever.  The  voices  of  the  katydids  sounded  far  and 
near. 

"Who  are  you  ?" 

There  was  not  a  word.  Only  the  figures  pressed  closer 
to  him. 

"  What — what  do  you  want  ?" 

Silence  and  the  katydids  in  the  woods. 

"  Let  me  go  by.     I  have  no  money/' 

There  was  no  answer,  and  for  a  moment  no  motion,  only 
the  gleam  of  steel  again.  Then  the  two  figures,  pressing 
close  against  the  Provost,  silently  turned  his  horse  around 
and  moved  slowly  off  into  the  woods,  without  a  word,  with 
him  between  them. 

He  tried  to  pull  up  his  reins  ;  they  were  held  on  either 
side,  and  an  arm  was  thrown  around  him. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?"  faltered  Leech. 

They  moved  on  without  a  word. 

"  Wait— I  will— I  will  give " 

A  bag  or  something  was  suddenly  thrown  over  his  head 
and  pressed  down  to  his  elbows,  which  at  the  same  mo- 
ment were  pinioned  to  his  side,  and  his  pistol  was  taken. 


166  RED   ROCK 

He  was  afraid  to  cry  out,  and  perhaps  could  not  have  done 
so  even  had  he  tried. 

The  next  instant  a  hand  was  put  into  his  breast  pocket 
and  his  pocket-book  and  all  his  papers  were  taken  out ;  he 
was  conscious  of  a  match  being  struck  and  a  light  made, 
and  that  his  papers  were  being  looked  over.  He  thought 
he  heard  one  of  his  captors  say,  "  Ah  ! "  and  the  next  mo- 
ment the  papers  and  pocket-book  were  put  back  in  his 
pocket,  and  the  light  was  extinguished  ;  the  bag  was  drawn 
from  over  his  head,  and  his  captors  rode  off  through  the 
woods.  When  he  tried  to  move  he  discovered  that  his 
horse  was  tied  to  a  bush  and  he  had  to  dismount  to  untie 
him.  His  pistol  was  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  sapling. 
Long  before  he  had  finished  loosing  his  horse,  the  sound  of 
his  two  waylayers  had  died  out. 

As  the  Provost  entered  the  village  the  sour  expression  on 
his  face  deepened.  The  clouds  had  disappeared  and  the 
summer  night  was  perfect ;  the  village  lay  before  him,  a 
picture  of  peace ;  the  glint  of  white  beneath  the  court- 
house trees  being  just  enough  to  suggest  that  the  tents 
there  were  hidden.  The  streets  were  filled  with  a  careless 
throng,  and  all  the  sounds  were  those  of  merriment :  laugh- 
ter and  shouting,  and  the  twang  of  banjos.  There  was  never 
an  unlikelier  field  for  such  a  plan  as  the  Provost  had  in  mind. 

He  rode  through  like  a  shadow,  silencing  the  negroes 
and  scowling  at  the  whites,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  put  up 
his  horse,  he  called  on  Captain  Middleton.  It  was  not  a 
long  interview,  but  it  was  a  stormy  one,  and  when  the 
Provost  came  out  of  the  Captain's  office  he  had  thrown 
down  the  gauntlet  and  there  was  an  open  breach  between 
them.  He  had  complained  to  Middleton  of  being  beset  by 
highwaymen  and  robbed  of  his  order,  and  Middleton  had 
told  him  plainly  he  did  not  believe  a  word  he  said. 

"  How  did  you  get  such  an  order  ?  If  there  was  such 
an  order,  why  was  it  not  addressed  to  me  ?"  he  asked. 

Leech  said  that  he  declined  to  be  interrogated,  but  he 
would  soon  show  him  that  he  had  authority. 


LEECH   SECURES   AN   ORDER  AND   LOSES   IT      167 

"  Then  yon  will  have  to  bring  some  better  evidence  than 
your  own  word,"  said  Middleton,  coldly. 

Leech  fired  up  and  attempted  a  bolder  tone  than  he  had 
ever  dared  use  before  with  Middleton,  and  actually  forbade 
the  meeting  the  following  night.  The  young  Captain, 
however,  gave  him  to  understand  that  he  himself  was  the 
commandant  there  and  that  for  another  word,  order  or  no 
order,  he  would  place  him  under  arrest,  which  step  at  that 
moment  would  have  so  interfered  with  Leech's  plans  that 
he  had  not  ventured  to  push  the  matter  further. 

Next  night  the  long-talked-of  entertainment  came  off 
duly,  and  Miss  Blair  Gary  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Dockett  and 
the  other  girls  who  had  waited  so  long,  showed  their  little 
plain,  sweet,  white  and  pink  dresses  which  they  had  made 
themselves,  and  their  prettier  white  throats  and  pink  faces, 
and  lovely  flashing  eyes  which  God  had  made ;  and  danced 
with  their  gray-jacketed  escorts,  their  little  feet  slipped 
in  their  little  slippers,  many  of  which  were  high-heeled 
and  faded  with  age,  having  belonged  to  their  mothers,  and 
grandmothers — even  great-grandmothers — and  enjoyed  it 
all  as  much  as  ever  the  former  wearers  of  the  slippers  did  in 
their  full  glory  of  satin  and  lace.  For  of  such  is  the  King- 
dom of  Youth. 

The  Yankee  officers  attended,  very  dignified,  and  were 
treated  politely,  but  not  warmly,  of  course,  only  just  so 
civilly  as  to  show  that  Southerners  knew  what  was  due  to 
guests  even  when  they  were  enemies  ;  but  not  so  warmly 
as  to  let  them  forget  that  they  were  foes. 

This,  however,  made  little  difference  to  the  young 
men,  for  the  civility  which  it  was  felt  was  "  their  due  as 
guests"  was  sufficient  to  make  a  marked  contrast  with  a 
past  in  which  not  a  soul  in  petticoats  had  noticed  them, 
and  the  girls  were  pretty  enough  to  satisfy  them  at  first, 
even  if  there  was  no  other  privilege  conferred  than  merely 
that  primal  right  of  the  cat  in  the  proverb.  Everyone, 
however,  meant  to  be  civil,  and  for  the  time,  at  least,  at 
peace. 


168  EED   ROCK 

But  there  was  more  than  this  ;  the  night  was  perfect ; 
the  breath  of  flowers  and  shrubbery  came  in  through  the 
open  windows  ;  the  moon  was  almost  at  her  full,  and  her 
soft  light  was  lying  on  the  grass,  mantling  the  trees,  and 
filling  the  night  with  that  amber  mellowness  which  some- 
times comes  in  summer,  and  seems  to  bring  a  special  peace- 
fulness. 

The  camp  lay  hidden  in  the  distance,  and  the  throng  in 
the  streets  hung  on  the  fences,  listening  to  the  music,  or 
laughed  and  danced  in  full  sympathy  with  the  occasion. 

Steve  Allen  constituted  himself  the  especial  host  of  the 
two  officers.  It  was  by  him  that  Middleton  and  Thur- 
ston  were  introduced  to  most  of  the  girls,  and  to  the  older 
ladies,  who  sat  at  the  end  of  the  room  farthest  from  the 
music,  their  eyes,  filled  with  light,  following  their  daugh- 
ters or  others  whose  success  was  near  to  their  hearts,  or, 
like  Miss  Thomasia,  beaming  a  benediction  on  the  whole 
throng  of  happy  dancers. 

Still,  an  hour  after  the  dancing  began,  the  one  person 
whom  Middleton  particularly  wished  to  meet  had  not  ap- 
peared, and  Middleton,  who  had  been  planning  for  a  week 
what  he  should  say  to  Miss  Gary,  found  himself  with  a  vague 
feeling  of  dissatisfaction.  Little  Thurston  was  capering 
around  as  if  to  the  manner  born  ;  perspiring  at  every  pore  ; 
paying  attention  to  half  the  girls  in  the  room,  and  casting 
glances  at  Miss  Dockett  languishing  enough,  as  Middleton 
said,  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  breach  of  promise  suit.  But 
Middleton  could  not  get  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 
He  asked  a  number  of  girls  to  dance,  but  they  were  all 
"  engaged,"  and  politely  showed  their  cards.  So  Mid- 
dleton fell  back.  General  Legaie,  and  the  other  older 
gentlemen  courteously  drew  him  into  their  conversation, 
and  the  General  rallied  him,  with  an  old  bachelor's  license, 
on  not  dancing,  declaring  that  the  sight  of  such  girls  was 
the  true  fountain  of  youth  ;  but  the  young  Captain  was 
not  in  the  mood  for  fun.  A  vague  feeling  of  unrest  was 
on  him.  The  order  that  Leech  had  mentioned  ;  the  Pro- 


LEECH   SECURES   AN  ORDER  AND  LOSES  IT      169 

vest's  positive  manner ;  the  warning  that  he  had  given  ; 
the  covert  threat  he  had  dared  to  employ,  all  began  to 
recur  to  Middleton  and  worry  him.  He  felt  that  he  would 
be  responsible  if  any  trouble  should  occur.  He  went  out 
and  walked  through  the  village.  A  light  was  shining  under 
the  door  of  Leech's  office  ;  but  all  was  as  it  had  been:  good- 
humor  everywhere.  The  moonlight  soothed  him  and  the 
pleasant  greetings  as  he  passed  served  to  restore  his  good- 
humor,  and  he  returned  to  the  ball.  As  he  did  so  an  old 
high-backed  carriage,  which  he  thought  he  recognized, 
made  its  way  slowly  past  him.  The  driver  was  explaining 
to  someone  who  walked  beside  him  the  cause  of  his  delay. 

"  Dat  fool  hoss — you  can't  git  him  in  de  water  to  save 
your  life.  He'll  breck  ev'ything  to  pieces  fust.  But  my 
young  Mistis,  she's  dyah  now,  an'  she's  de  queen  on  'em  all, 
I  tell  you.  You  go  dyah  an*  look  at  her  th'oo  de  winder," 
he  wound  up  with  a  proud  laugh. 

As  Middleton  re-entered  the  ball-room  there  was  quite  a 
group  near  the  door  surrounding  someone  who  was  the 
centre  of  attraction,  and  whom  Captain  Allen  was  teasing. 

"  Oh !  You'll  dance  with  him.  He  left  because  you 
had  not  come,  but  I  have  sent  for  him.  He's  saved  a  set 
expressly  for  you." 

"I  won't.  He  has  done  no  such  thing,  and  I  won't 
dance  with  you  either,  unless  you  go  away  and  let  me 
alone."  The  voice  was  a  charming  one. 

"  I'll  bet  you  do.  I  understand  why  you  made  old 
Gideon  drive  you  up  the  stream  that  evening ;  but  you 
can't  expect  him  to  be  mooning  on  the  bank  of  every  creek 
in  the  county,  you  know " 

"  That  settles  it  for  you,  Steve,"  said  the  voice  over  be- 
hind the  heads.  "Jack,  I  have  the  seventh  dance  with 
you  as  well  as  the  first  and  fourth,"  she  called  to  Jacquelin 
who  was  seated  against  the  wall,  his  crutches  beside  him. 

"  Jack  never  was  any  hand  at  arithmetic,  and  besides 
he  can't  dance,"  declared  Allen,  as  his  friend  professed  his 
gratitude. 


170  BED   ROCK 

Just  then  Allen  caught  sight  of  Middleton,  over  the 
heads  of  the  others. 

"  Ah  !  here — Captain  Middleton,  I  want  to  present  you 
to  my  cousin,  Miss  Blair  Gary,  who  wishes  to  know  how 
you  happened  not  to  be — "  He  caught  his  cousin's  eye, 
and  changed  his  speech  " — who  has  a  question  to  ask  you. 
Captain  Middleton — Miss  Gary."  The  others  made  way 
for  Middleton,  and  he  stepped  forward  and  bowed  low. 

She  was  all  in  white,  and  was  blazing  with  brass  buttons. 
They  were  her  only  ornaments,  except  a  single  old  jewel 
consisting  of  a  ruby  surrounded  by  diamonds.  She  wore 
bracelets  of  the  buttons  on  her  arms,  and  a  necklace  of 
larger  ones  on  a  band  around  her  white  throat.  A  broad 
belt  of  them  girdled  her  little  waist. 

As  Middleton  bowed,  he  caught  her  eye  and  the  same 
look  of  mingled  defiance  and  amusement  which  he  remem- 
bered so  well  at  the  ford.  He  hardly  knew  whether  to 
laugh  or  be  grave,  and  was  conscious  that  he  was  growing 
red,  as  her  look  changed  into  one  of  triumph.  He  re- 
mained grave,  however,  and  rallied  enough  to  ask  her  for 
a  dance.  She  bowed.  They  were  all  engaged. 

"I  have  the  seventh — to  sit  out,  I  believe?"  said 
Jacquelin  Gray  maliciously,  from  his  seat,  for  Steve's  ben- 
efit. Miss  Blair  looked  at  her  card  ;  —  then  to  Jacquelin  : 

"You  only  believe?  As  you  have  forgotten  so  far  as 
to  have  a  doubt  about  it,  the  seventh  is  not  engaged," 
said  the  young  coquette,  with  a  curtsey.  She  turned.  "  I 
will  give  it  to  you,  Captain  Middleton."  She  looked  at 
Jacquelin  and  with  a  little — only  the  least  little  toss  of 
the  head,  took  the  arm  of  a  young  man  who  had  just 
claimed  his  set,  and  bowing  to  Middleton  moved  off,  leav- 
ing both  Steve  and  Jacquelin  looking  a  trifle  blank. 

"  That  girl's  the  most  unaccountable  creature  that  ever 
was  on  earth,"  growled  Jacquelin.  "I'll  be  hanged  if  I'll 
be  treated  so  ! "  He  looked  across  the  room  after  her 
floating  form. 

"  Go  slow,  old  man,  go  slow,"  said  Steve.     "  You'll  be 


LEECH   SECURES   AN   ORDER  AND  LOSES  IT      171 

treated  that  way  and  come  again  for  more.  And  you 
know  you  will/' 

Jacquelin  growled.     He  knew  in  his  heart  it  was  true. 

Middleton  thought  that  the  seventh  set  would  never 
come,  but,  like  everything  else  in  life,  it  came  at  last,  and 
though  there  were  three  claimants  for  it,  the  one  who 
was  the  final  judge  decided  for  Middleton  and  walked 
off  with  him,  calmly  leaving  both  the  other  aspirants 
fuming  and  scowling. 

"  You  can't  fight  him  Jack,"  said  Steve  with  a  laugh  to 
his  cousin,  who  was  muttering  to  himself,  "  because  Fd 
first  have  to  fight  you,  you  know." 

Having  thus  punished  both  her  admirers,  Miss  Gary 
declined  to  dance — whether  to  keep  her  word  ;  to  avoid 
pleasing  too  much  the  young  Federal  Captain,  or  to  soothe 
the  ruffled  spirits  of  his  unsuccessful  competitors,  who  may 
tell  ?  For  no  one  can  thread  the  mazes  of  a  girl's  caprice. 

But  this  made  little  difference  to  Middleton.  They 
strolled  outside  and  found  a  seat.  The  moonlight  ap- 
peared to  Middleton  more  charming  than  he  ever  remem- 
bered it,  and  he  discovered  something  which  he  had 
never  known  before.  He  wanted  to  please  this  girl  as  he 
never  recalled  having  wanted  to  please  any  other,  and  he 
was  conscious  that  it  was  a  difficult,  if  not  an  impossible 
task.  It  was  as  though  he  lay  in  face  of  a  foe,  one  who 
appeared  at  the  outset  stronger  than  he.  Yet  she  did  not 
appear  to  be  attempting  anything.  She  was  simply  in 
opposition  to  him,  that  was  all.  She  appeared  so  unaf- 
fected and  simple  that,  remembering  what  he  had  just 
seen  of  her  coquetry,  he  wondered  if  she  could  be  as 
natural  as  she  seemed  to  be.  Her  gaze  was  so  direct,  her 
voice  so  placid,  her  manner  so  self-possessed,  that  he  felt 
she  had  the  advantage  of  him.  And  all  the  time  he 
wanted  to  please  her. 

In  the  course  of  their  conversation  she  spoke  of  her 
brother. 

Middleton  had  not  remembered  that  she  had  a  brother. 


172  RED  ROCK 

"  Where  is  he  ?"  he  asked. 

"  He  was  killed."    She  spoke  very  quietly. 

"Oh  I"  he  said,  softly.     "I  beg  your  pardon." 

"  He  was  killed  at  Jacquelin  Gray's  side,  and  Jacquelin 
brought  his  body  out  under  fire — just  as  Steve  afterward 
tried  to  bring  Jack."  She  sighed  deeply,  and  her  eyes 
seemed  to  say,  "  You  can  understand  now  ?" 

Middleton  had  a  strange  sensation.  He  had  never  be- 
fore looked  in  the  eyes  of  a  woman  whose  brother  had 
been  killed,  possibly  by  his  command.  He  hated  Jacque- 
lin, but  in  a  way  he  was  grateful  to  him  too ;  for  it  was 
the  first  time  Miss  Gary  had  softened  at  all. 

ff  I  believe  that  all  your  men  went  in  the  army,"  he  said, 
feeling  about  for  a  new  subject 

"  Of  course." 

"And  some  of  your  ladies  ?  "  he  smiled. 

"All  of  them."    Up  went  her  head  again. 

"  I  wonder  that  you  were  ever  conquered  ?  " 

"  Conquered  !  We  were  not  conquered."  She  looked 
it,  as  she  stood  there  in  the  moonlight.  Middleton  had  a 
sudden  thrill  that  it  would  be  worth  his  life  to  win  such  a 
girl,  and  she  had  never  given  him  even  one  friendly  glance. 
He  could  not  help  thinking, 

"What  would  Thurston  say  ?" 

A  partner  came  and  claimed  his  set,  and  Middleton  was 
left  outside.  He  sat  for  a  moment  thinking  how  lonely 
her  departure  had  made  the  place.  He  had  never  felt  this 
way  about  any  other  girl.  Just  then  a  strange  sound,  like 
distant  shouting,  came  through  the  stillness.  Middleton 
rose  and  strolled  down  to  the  gate.  There  were  fewer  people 
in  the  street.  A  man  came  hurrying  along  and  spoke  to 
another.  His  voice  was  so  excited  that  it  arrested  Middle- 
ton's  attention,  and  he  caught  the  last  of  his  sentence. 

"  It  ought  to  be  broke  up  at  once.  Go  in  there  and  call 
Captain  Allen  and  McRaffle  out." 

"  What's  that  ? "  asked  Middleton,  walking  out  of  the 
gate,  and  up  to  him. 


LEECH   SECURES   AN   ORDER  AND   LOSES   IT      173 

"  A  nigger-meetin'  down  yonder/'  answered  the  man, 
sullenly.  "  If  it  ain't  broken  up  there'll  be  trouble. 
Leech  started  it  by  reading  a  paper  he  had,  tellin'  'em  the 
Gov'ment  wants  the  party  broke  up,  and  then  he  put 
Sherrod  up,  and  now  that  yaller  nigger,  Dr.  Moses,  is  up. 
Leech's  been  givin'  'em  liquor,  and  unless  it's  stopped 
there'll  be  the  devil  to  pay." 

"  I'll  see  about  it,"  said  Middleton.  He  walked  rapidly 
down  in  the  direction  the  man  had  indicated.  He  was 
sensible,  as  he  passed  along,  of  some  change,  and,  presently, 
the  distant  sound  of  a  man  speaking  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
came  to  him,  followed  shortly  by  a  roar  of  applause.  He 
hurried  on  and  passed  a  group  of  half  a  dozen  white  men, 
some  of  whom  were  advocating  sending  for  "  reinforce- 
ments," as  they  said,  while  others  were  insisting  that  they 
should  go  right  in  on  them  at  once.  All  were  united  as 
to  one  thing  :  that  the  meeting  ought  to  be  stopped. 

"If  we  don't,"  said  one,  "there'll  be  trouble,  and  we 
might's  well  do  it  at  once.  I  can  do  it  by  myself." 

Some  one  said  something  about  "  the  Yankee  officers." 

"  Yankees  be  blanked  ! "  said  the  other.  "  Wasn't  it 
that  scoundrel  Leech  as  started  it  all  ?  He's  been  workin' 
it  up  all  day.  I  got  wind  of  it  up  at  home  ;  —  that's  the 
reason  I  come  down.  We've  got  to  do  it  ourselves."  It 
was  Andy  Stamper. 

Just  then  they  saw  Middleton  and  followed  him,  offering 
their  advice  and  services.  All  they  wanted  was  authority. 

When  Middleton  arrived,  he  agreed  with  them  that  the 
speaking  ought  to  be  stopped  at  once.  He  had  never  seen 
such  a  sight.  The  entire  negro  population  of  the  place 
appeared  to  be  packed  there,  moaning  and  singing,  hug- 
ging each  other  and  shouting,  whilst  Moses,  the  negro  he 
had  ordered  to  leave  town,  was  on  the  platform,  tossing 
his  arms  in  a  sort  of  frenzy  and  calling  on  them  to  rise 
and  prove  they  were  the  chosen  people.  "  God  had 
brought  their  enemies  all  together  in  one  place,"  he  cried, 
"and  all  that  was  needed  was  for  Samson  to  arise  and 


174  RED   EOCK 

prove  his  strength.  Their  deliverer  was  at  hand.  "  Ain't 
you  heah  dat  de  wud  done  come  from  de  New  Jerusalem, 
an'  ain't  my  name  Moses — Moses  ?  Moses  is  my  name ! "  he 
shouted,  intoning  the  words  in  a  sort  of  wild  frenzy.  The 
shout  that  greeted  him  proved  the  danger  of  his  course. 

"D — n  him,  Fll  stop  his  mouth,"  said  one  of  the  young 
men,  pushing  his  way  through  the  throng,  but  Middleton 
was  before  him.  He  forced  his  way,  followed  by  the 
others,  through  the  crowd  which  gave  way  before  him 
at  his  command,  and,  when  still  some  yards  away  from  the 
platform,  he  ordered  the  speaker  to  cease.  But  Moses  was 
either  too  drunk  or  too  excited  to  heed,  and  went  on 
shouting  his  singsong. 

"Til  lead  you  to  de  burnin'  bush,"  he  cried.  "I'll 
give  you  de  promise  Ian'."  As  it  happened,  a  man 
standing  in  the  crowd  had  a  carriage-whip  in  his  hand. 
The  Captain  snatched  it  from  him  and  sprang  on  the  plat- 
form, and  the  next  instant  was  raining  on  the  would-be 
prophet  and  leader  such  a  thrashing  as  he  had  never  had 
in  his  life.  The  effect  was  miraculous.  The  first  lash  of 
the  heavy  whip  took  the  preacher  by  surprise  and  dazed 
him  ;  the  second  recalled  him  to  himself  and  stripped  his 
prophetic  character  from  him,  leaving  him  nothing  but  a 
whining,  miserable  creature,  who  was  trying  to  deceive  and 
mislead  others  as  miserable  and  more  ignorant  than  himself. 

As  the  Captain  laid  the  blows  on  fast  and  thick,  Moses 
cringed  and  finally  broke  and  fled  from  the  platform,  fol- 
lowed by  the  jeers  and  shouts  of  the  crowd  who  had  just 
been  ready  to  follow  him  in  any  violence,  if,  indeed,  he 
would  have  had  the  courage  to  lead  them.  And  when  the 
irate  officer  appeared  ready  to  turn  his  whip  on  them,  and 
did  accompany  his  peremptory  order  that  they  should  dis- 
perse at  once,  with  a  few  contemptuous  lashes  at  those 
nearest  him,  they  broke  and  ran  with  as  much  good-humor 
as  they  had  shown  an  hour  previously,  when  they  were  danc- 
ing and  shuffling  in  the  street,  before  Leech  and  his  agents 
got  hold  of  them. 


CHAPTER  XV 

CAPTAIN    MIDDLETON     HAS    A    TEST     OF     PEACE,    AND    IS 
ORDERED   WEST 

THE  next  day  there  was  much  stir  in  the  county,  at  least 
about  the  court-house,  and  it  was  known  that  Middleton 
had  summoned  Leech  before  him  and  had  had  an  interview 
with  him,  which  rumor  said  was  stormy,  and  that  it  had 
ended  by  the  Provost  being  sent  to  his  room,  it  was  said, 
under  arrest. 

So  much  was  certain,  Middleton  after  this  took  charge 
of  matters  which  up  to  this  time  "Leech  had  been  attending 
to,  and  Leech  remained  out  of  sight  until  he  left  the  place, 
which  he  did  two  days  later.  One  of  the  first  steps  Mid- 
dleton took  was  to  summon  the  negroes  before  him  and 
give  them  a  talk.  And  he  closed  his  speech  by  a  warning 
that  they  should  keep  order  wherever  they  were,  declaring, 
that  if  there  were  any  repetition  of  Moses's  performance 
of  the  previous  night  the  offender  would  not  escape  so 
easily. 

The  effect  of  his  act  was  admirable.  By  nightfall  nearly 
every  negro  who  was  not  employed  about  the  county  seat 
had  left,  and  within  two  days  many  of  them  were  at  work, 
back  at  their  old  homes. 

Middleton  found  himself  suddenly  as  popular  as  he  had 
formerly  been  unpopular,  receiving  visits  and  invitations 
from  half  the  gentlemen  in  the  place,  so  that  Thurston 
said  it  was  just  the  old  story  :  he  set  the  triggers  and 
worked  everything,  and  Middleton  just  walked  in  and 
took  the  game. 

"  Here  I  have  been  working  like  a  nigger/'  he  said  to 

175 


176  BED   KOCK 

Middleton,  "  watching  around  and  following  that  fellow 
Leech  in  all  his  rascality;  displaying  the  most  consummate 
qualities  of  leadership,  and  singing  my  head  off,  and  you 
happen  to  come  along,  pick  up  a  driver's  whip  and  let  into 
a  drunken  rascal,  talk  a  lot  of  rot  next  morning,  and  in 
five  minutes  do  what  I  with  all  my  genius  haven't  been 
able  to  do  in  as  many  months.  It's  the  old  story,  Larry, 
it's  fate  !  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  Long  legs  are  worth 
more  to  a  man  than  a  long  head.  But,  Larry,  look  out 
for  Leech.  He's  a  blood-sucker.  Tra-la ;  I  have  an  en- 
gagement. Might  as  well  get  some  of  the  good  of  your 
glory,  old  man,  while  it  lasts,  you  know.  Beauty  fadeth 
as  a  flower."  And  leaving  Middleton  over  his  report,  the 
cheery  little  Lieutenant  went  off  to  have  a  ride  with  Miss 
Dockett,  who,  in  view  of  certain  professions  of  his  and  pro- 
ceedings of  his  Captain's  the  night  before,  had  honored 
him  so  far  as  to  vouchsafe  him  that  privilege. 

Keely  Thurston's  half  humorous  warning  to  his  friend 
was  not  without  foundation,  as  both  he  and  Middleton 
knew,  and  within  a  week  the  Captain  was  up  to  his  ears  in 
reports  and  correspondence  relative  to  his  conduct  in  the 
county. 

The  quietness  of  everything  around  him  was  a  fact  to 
which  he  pointed  with  pride  ;  the  restoration  of  order 
throughout  the  county  was  a  proof  of  the  wisdom  of 
his  course.  Crime  had  diminished  ;  order  had  been  re- 
stored ;  good  feeling  had  grown  up  ;  the  negroes  had  re- 
turned to  work,  and  were  getting  regular  wages.  They 
were  already  beginning  to  save  a  little  and  some  were  buy- 
ing land.  The  whites  had  accepted  the  status  of  affairs 
in  good  faith  and  were,  he  believed,  turning  all  their 
energies  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  time  in  the  best  way 
they  could.  In  a  word,  peace  was  fully  restored  in  the 
territory  under  his  command.  He  congratulated  himself 
that  he  was  able  to  state  a  condition  of  affairs  so  entirely 
in  accord  with  the  observation  of  the  commander-in-chief 
of  the  armies,  who  about  that  time  visited  the  State  and 


CAPTAIN  MIDDLETON  IS   ORDERED   WEST        177 

made  a  similar  report  on  it.  Even  Reely  Thurston  com- 
mended Middleton's  report,  and  confided  to  Miss  Dockett, 
who  was  beginning  to  receive  such  confidences  more  gra- 
ciously of  late,  that  "  Larry  had  somewhere,  in  that  high 
head  of  his,  a  deuced  lot  of  brains,"  a  compliment  which 
the  young  Captain  would  have  taken  more  gratefully  from 
him  than  from  any  other  soul  on  earth. 

Another  cause  of  content  was  just  then  beginning  to 
have  its  effect  on  Middleton.  Miss  Gary  was  beginning  to 
treat  him  with  some  degree  of  Christian  charity,  and  actu- 
ally condescended  to  take  a  ride  with  him  on  horseback, 
and  when  he  proved  himself  sufficiently  appreciative  of 
this  honor,  took  another. 

So  things  went,  and  before-  the  summer  evenings  were 
over,  the  young  Captain  had  ridden  to  the  point  where  he 
had  given  Blair  Gary  all  the  confidences  which  a  young 
man  in  his  twenties  is  likely  to  give  the  prettiest  girl  in 
his  circle  of  acquaintance,  especially  when  she  is  the  only 
one  whose  eyes  soften  a  little  at  the  recital,  and  who  re- 
sponds a  bit  by  giving  just  a  little  of  her  own.  Not  that 
Miss  Gary  for  a  moment  allowed  .Middleton  to  forget  that 
on  the  one  great  subject  always  present,  the  world  stretched 
between  them.  They  were  enemies.  Between  them  there 
was  never  more  than  a  truce.  She  would  be  his  friend 
while  it  lasted  ;  but  never  more.  That  was  all !  Her  skir- 
mish-line, so  to  speak,  exchanged  courtesies  with  his  ;  but, 
on  the  first  suggestion  of  a  signal,  sprang  to  her  rifle-pits. 

She  always  wore,  when  she  rode,  a  gray  cap,  which 
Middleton,  without  asking  any  questions,  knew  had  been 
her  brother's.  It  was  a  badge,  and  the  young  man  rec- 
ognized it  as  such.  She  still  wore  her  brass  buttons, 
and  would  never  give  him  one  of  them.  One  afternoon, 
as  they  were  returning  from  a  ride  in  which  he  had  told 
her  all  about  Kuth  Welch,  dwelling  somewhat  on  their 
cousinship,  they  stopped  at  the  ford  where  he  had  gone  to 
Blair's  rescue  the  day  her  horse  fell,  and  he  asked  her 
casually  if  she  would  give  him  one  of  the  buttons  to  save 
12 


178  RED   ROCK 

his  life.  She  quietly  said  "No,"  and  he  believed  her. 
Yet  this  made  little  difference  to  the  young  man.  He 
was  not  in  love  with  her,  he  was  sure.  He  only  enjoyed 
her.  And  the  summer  evenings  which  he  spent  at  Bird- 
wood,  or  riding  with  her  through  the  arching  woods,  were 
the  pleasantest  he  had  ever  known.  As  they  watered 
their  horses  at  the  ford  that  afternoon  no  less  than  four 
other  couples  came  riding  up  on  their  way  home,  and 
there  wa£  quite  a  little  levee  held  in  the  limpid  stream, 
Middleton  finding  himself  taken  into  the  talk  and  raillery 
quite  as  a  member  of  the  circle.  The  far-off  call  of 
ploughmen  to  their  teams  in  the  low-grounds  of  Red  Eock 
and  the  distant  lowing  of  cattle  in  the  pastures  came 
muffled  on  the  soft  air,  while  a  woodlark  in  the  woods 
along  the  waterside  sang  its  brilliant  song  to  its  tardy 
mate  with  a  triumph  born  only  of  security  and  peace. 
As  Captain  Middleton  looked  at  the  faded  gray  coats  and 
his  blue  one,  the  numbers  doubled  by  the  reflection  in  the 
placid  stream,  and  listened  to  the  laughter  about  him,  he 
could  not  but  think  what  a  picture  and  proof  of  peace  it 
was.  And  Miss  Gary  was  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  party. 

Suddenly  one  of  the  horses  became  restive,  and  slashed 
away  at  the  nearest  horse  to  him.  Blair,  in  pulling  her 
horse  out  of  the  way,  got  under  an  overhanging  bough 
and  her  cap  was  knocked  from  her  head  into  the  water. 
She  gave  a  little  cry  of  dismay  as  it  floated  down  the 
stream,  and  at  her  call  more  than  one  of  the  young  men 
turned  his  horse  to  recover  the  cap  ;  but  Middleton  was 
nearest,  and  he  spurred  straight  into  the  deep  water  below 
the  ledge  and  swam  for  the  cap,  reaching  it  just  before 
the  others  got  it.  He  was  pleased  at  the  applause  he  re- 
ceived when  he  returned. 

Miss  Oary  only  said  "  thank  you,"  as  she  might  have 
said  it  if  he  had  picked  the  cap  from  the  floor. 

Not  all  the  county  people,  however,  acquiesced  so  entirely 
in  receiving  Middleton  on  so  friendly  a  basis;  some  did  not 
see  why  a  Yankee  officer  should  be  taken  up  as  a  friend. 


CAPTAIN   MIDDLETON  IS   ORDERED   WEST        179 

There  was  one  young  man  who  did  not  appreciate  at 
least  Middleton's  mode  of  exhibiting  his  friendliness. 
Steve  and  Middleton  had  become  very  good  friends ;  but 
Jacquelin  Gray,  as  jealous  as  Othello,  grew  more  and  more 
reserved  toward  the  young  officer,  and  began  to  give  himself 
many  airs  about  his  attentions  to  Blair  Gary.  If  anything, 
this  only  incited  Blair  to  show  Middleton  greater  favor,  and 
at  last  the  young  lady  gave  Jacquelin  to  understand  that 
she  intended  to  do  just  as  she  pleased  and  did  not  propose 
to  be  held  accountable  by  him  for  anything  whatever. 

The  evening  of  the  ride  on  which  Blair  lost  her  cap  and 
Middleton  recovered  it  for  her,  Jacquelin  had  driven 
over  <e  to  see  the  doctor,"  he  said,  and  found  her  gone  off 
with  Middleton.  As  Dr.  Gary  was  away,  visiting  his 
patients,  which  Jacquelin  might  have  known,  and  Mrs. 
Gary  was  confined  to  her  room  that  day,  Jacquelin  was 
left  to  himself  and  had  plenty  of  time  as  he  sat  on  the 
porch  all  alone,  to  chew  the  cud  of  bitter  fancy,  and  reflect 
on  the  caprices  of  a  part  of  the  human  race.  He  was  not 
much  consoled  when  Mammy  Krenda  came  out  and,  with 
kindly  sympathy,  said  : 

"  You  too  late — you  better  make  haste  an'  git  off  dem 
crutches,  honey,  and  git  'pon  horseback.  Crutches  can't 
keep  up  with  horses."  She  disappeared  within  and  Jacque- 
lin was  left  in  a  flame  of  jealousy.  By  the  time  Blair  ar- 
rived he  was  in  just  the  state  of  mind  to  make  a  fool  of 
himself.  When  Jacquelin  began  the  interview,  he,  per- 
haps, had  no  idea  of  going  as  far  as  his  heat  carried  him  ; 
but  unhappily  he  lost  his  head — or  as  much  of  a  head 
as  a  man  can  have  who  is  deeply  in  love  and,  having 
gone  to  see  his  sweetheart,  finds  her  off  riding  with  a  rival. 

It  was  quite  dusk  when  the  riders  rode  slowly  up  the  ave- 
nue. They  stopped  at  the  gate,  and  Jacquelin  could  hear 
Blair's  cordial  invitation  to  her  companion  to  come  in  and 
take  supper  with  them.  Middleton  declined. 

"  But  I'm  afraid  you  will  catch  cold,  riding  so  far  in  wet 
clothes,"  she  urged.  He,  however,  had  to  return  im- 


180  KED   EOCK 

mediately,  he  declared,  and  after  a  few  more  words  he 
galloped  off,  while  Blair  came  on  to  the  house. 

"  Why,  Jacquelin  !  You  here  all  by  yourself  !  "  she  ex- 
claimed. She  bent  over  him  quickly  to  prevent  his  rising 
for  her.  Had  Jacquelin  been  cool  enough  to  note  her 
voice  it  might  have  saved  him  ;  but  he  was  not  even  look- 
ing at  her.  His  manner  hauled  her  up  short,  and  the  next 
instant  hers  had  changed.  She  seated  herself  and  tried 
for  a  few  moments  to  be  light  and  divert  him.  She  told  of 
the  episode  at  the  ford.  Jacquelin,  however,  was  not  to  be 
diverted,  and,  taking  the  silence  which  presently  fell  on 
her  for  a  confession,  he  began  to  assume  a  bolder  tone,  and 
proceeded  to  take  her  to  task  for  her  conduct. 

"  It  was  an  outrage — an  outrage  on — Steve.  It  was 
shameful/'  he  said,  "  that  with  such  a  man  as  Steve  offering 
his  heart  to  her,  she  should  be  boldly  encouraging  a  Yankee 
officer,  so  that  everybody  in  the  county  was  talking  about 
it."  It  was  when  he  said  it  was  an  outrage  on  Steve  that 
the  explosion  came.  Blair  was  on  her  feet  in  a  second. 

"Jacquelin  !"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  gasp.  The  next 
second  she  had  found  her  voice.  He  had  never  seen  her  as 
she  became.  It  was  a  new  Blair  standing  above  him, 
tall  and  straight  in  the  dusk,  her  frame  trembling,  her 
voice  vibrating.  She  positively  flamed  with  indignation, 
not  because  of  the  charge,  but  against  him  for  making  it. 

"  Whose  business  is  it  ?  "  she  asked  him,  with  glowing 
cheeks  and  flashing  eyes.  If  her  father  and  mother  did 
not  object,  had  he  a  right  to  interfere  ?  If  Steve  were  not 
satisfied,  could  not  he  take  care  of  himself  ?  Who  had  given 
him  such  a  right  ?  And  before  Jacquelin  could  recover 
from  his  surprise,  she  had  burst  into  tears  and  rushed  into 
the  house. 

Jacquelin  drove  home  in  black  despair.  He  had  been 
put  wholly  in  the  wrong,  and  yet  he  felt  that  he  had  had 
right  originally  on  his  side.  His  whole  past  appeared  sud- 
denly rooted  up  ;  his  whole  future  destroyed  by  this  new- 
comer, this  hostile  interloper.  How  he  would  love  to  have 


CAPTAIN   MIDDLETON   IS   ORDERED   WEST        181 

some  cause  of  personal  quarrel  with  him  !  How  gladly  he 
would  put  it  all  to  the  test  of  one  meeting.  Yet  what  had 
Middleton  done  but  win  fairly  !  and  he  had  been  a  gentle- 
man always.  Jacquelin  was  forced  to  admit  this.  But 
oh  !  if  he  only  had  a  just  cause  of  quarrel  !  Let  him  look 
out  hereafter.  But — if  he  were  to  meet  him  and  he  should 
fall,  what  would  be  the  consequence  ?  He  would  only 
have  ruined  Blair's  happiness  and  have  destroyed  his  only 
hope.  He  almost  ground  his  teeth  at  his  helplessness 
as  he  drove  home  through  the  dusk.  He  did  not  know 
that  at  that  moment  Blair  Gary,  with  locked  door,  was 
sobbing  in  her  little  white-curtained  room,  her  anger  no 
longer  turned  against  him,  hnt  against  herself. 

When  Jacquelin  awoke  the  next  morning  it  was  with  a 
sinking  at  the  heart.  Blair  was  lost  to  him  forever.  Day- 
light, however,  is  a  great  restorer  of  courage,  and,  little 
by  little,  his  spirits  revived,  until  by  evening  he  began  to 
consider  himself  a  most  ill-used  person,  and  to  fancy  Blair 
suing  for  pardon.  He  even  found  himself  nursing  an  idea 
that  she  would  write  a  note  ;  but  instead  of  that,  he  heard 
that  Middleton  had  been  up  to  see  her  again,  and  once 
more  his  heart  sank  and  his  anger  rose.  He  would  show 
her  that  he  was  not  to  be  trampled  on  and  insulted  as  she 
had  done. 

When  Middleton  arrived  at  the  court-house  the  after- 
noon of  his  ride,  he  found  an  order  transferring  his  com- 
pany to  a  frontier  post  in  the  far  Northwest.  They  were 
to  leave  immediately. 

The  same  train  by  which  the  old  company  was  to  go  was 
to  bring  its  successor. 

The  afternoon  before  his  company  left,  Middleton  rode 
up  to  Birdwood.  He  had  given  no  one  any  notice,  and  he 
arrived  unexpectedly.  No  one  was  in  sight.  The  lawn 
appeared  as  deserted  as  if  it  were  in  the  heart  of  a  wilder- 
ness. The  trees  were  as  quiet  as  if  Nature  herself  were 
asleep,  and  the  sound  of  a  dove  cooing  far  down  in  the 
grove  only  intensified  the  quietude.  Tying  his  horse, 


182  BED   ROCK 

Middleton  walked  up  through  the  grove.  As  he  passed 
along  he  happened  to  cast  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the 
little  double  building,  which  was  off  to  one  side  at  some 
distance  back  of  the  dwelling,  and  seeing  the  old  mammy 
enter  one  of  the  doors  he  turned  that  way,  thinking  that 
she  might  come  out,  and  he  would  ask  if  the  family  were 
at  home.  He  stopped  in  front  of  the  nearest  door  and 
looked  in.  It  was  the  kitchen,  and  he  was  facing,  not  the 
mammy — who  as  a  matter  of  fact,  had  entered  another 
door — but  Miss  Gary  herself.  She  was  dressed  in  a  white 
dress,  and  her  skirt  was  turned  back  and  pinned  about  her 
slender  waist ;  her  sleeves  were  rolled  up,  showing  her 
round,  white  arms.  She  was  busy  with  a  bread-tray. 
Middleton  would  have  drawn  back,  but  Blair  looked  up 
and  their  eyes  met.  There  was  a  moment  of  half  embar- 
rassment, and  Middleton  was  about  to  draw  back  and  apolo- 
gize for  his  intrusion,  but  before  he  could  do  so  she  came 
forward,  smiling. 

"  Won't  you  come  in  ?"  she  said,  "  or  will  you  walk  into 
the  house  ?  "  The  color  had  mounted  to  her  cheeks,  and 
the  half  mocking  smile  had  still  a  little  embarrassment  in 
it ;  but  Middleton  thought  she  had  never  looked  so  charm- 
ing. His  heart  gave  a  bound. 

"  Can  you  doubt  what  I  will  do  ?  "  He  stepped  over 
the  high  threshold.  "  Even  if  I  be  but  scullion " 

"  You  must  have  been  taking  lessons  from  the  General. 
Here — no  one  was  ever  allowed  in  here  who  would  not 
work/'  She  gave  him  a  rolling-pin,  and  he  set  to  work 
with  it  industriously. 

"  This  comes  of  your  doing,"  she  said,  still  smiling.  "I 
am  the  only  cook  left.  Why  don't  you  detail  me  one  ?  If 
you  were  worth  a  button  you  would." 

"How  would  I  do?"  hazarded  Middleton.  "  I'm  a 
pretty  good  cook." 

' '  Aunt  Betty  wouldn't  have  let  you  come  into  the  kitchen 
if  you  handled  your  rolling-pin  that  way.  Let  me  show 
you." 


CAPTAIN   MIDDLETON   IS   ORDERED   WEST        183 

"  Which  is  the  best  argument  yet  for  the  change  of 
cooks,"  said  Middleton,  guilefully  holding  the  rolling-pin 
more  and  more  awkwardly,  for  the  very  pleasure  of  being 
set  right  by  her.  "  Now,  don't  you  think  I  am  worth  a 
button  ?  " 

"No,  but  you  may  learn." 

"  Unfortunately,  I  am  going  away." 

"Are  you  ? — When  are  you  coming  back  ?" — A  polite 
little  tone  coming  into  her  voice. 

"Never."  He  tried  to  say  it  as  indifferently  as  he  had 
said  it  in  practising  when  he  rode  up,  which  he  liked 
better  than  the  tragic  "NEVER  !"  which  he  had  first  pro- 
posed to  himself ;  and  all  the  time  he  was  watching  her 
out  of  the  tail  of  his  eye.  She  said  nothing,  and  he  felt  a 
little  disappointed. 

"  We  are  ordered  away — "  he  began.  She  was  busying 
herself  about  something.  But  he  was  sure  she  had  heard. 
" — to  the  Northwest  to  keep  the  Indians  down,"  he  pro- 
ceeded. 

"  Oh  ! "  She  turned  quickly  toward  him,  and  their  eyes 
met. 

"  Well,  I  hope  you'll  be  as  successful  and  find  your  task 
as  pleasant  there  as  you  have  here."  Her  head  had  gone 
up,  as  it  did  on  the  veranda  the  night  of  the  ball. 

"  I  do  not  appear  to  have  been  particularly  successful 
here,"  Middleton  began,  banteringly,  then  walked  over  to 
her  side.  "  Miss  Gary,  do  you  think  I  have  really  enjoyed 
my  task  here  ?" 

"  Why — yes,"  she  began  ;  then  she  glanced  up  and  found 
him  grave.  "  I  don't  know — I  thought " 

"  No,"  said  Middleton,  "  you  did  not." 

Just  at  that  moment  a  shadow  fell  across  the  light,  and 
Mammy  Krenda  stood  in  the  door. 

"  Well — I  declare  ! "  she  exclaimed,  with  well-feigned 
astonishment.  "  What  in  the  worP  air  you  doin'  in  this 
kitchen  ?  " 

They  both  thought  she  was  addressing  Middleton,  and 


184  RED   KOCK 

he  began  to  stammer  a  reply ;  but  it  was  her  young  mis- 
tress whose  presence  there  appeared  to  scandalize  the  old 
woman. 

"  Don't  yon  know  you  ain'  got  no  business  in  heah  ?  I 
can't  turn  my  back  to  git  nothing  but  what  you  come  in- 
terferin'  wid  my  things.  Go  right  in  de  house  dis  minute  . 
and  put  yo'  nice  clo'es  on.  I  air  really  ashamed  o'  you  to 
let  a  gent — a — anybody  see  you  dat  way/'  She  was  push- 
ing Blair  out  gently.  "  I  don'  know  what  she  air  doin'  in 
heah/'  she  said  to  Middleton,  addressing  him  for  the  first 
time,  and  with  some  disdain  in  her  manner,  as  if  she 
wished  him  to  understand  that  he  had  no  business  there 
either. 

As  Blair  passed  him  on  her  way  out  she  said  to  him  in  a 
whisper,  with  a  low  laugh  : 

' '  That's  a  yarn.  I  do  nearly  all  the  cooking  since  our 
cook  went  off,  but  she  thinks  it's  beneath  my  dignity  to  be 
caught  at  it." 

They  did  not  go  into  the  house,  but  walked  over  through 
the  grove  and  sat  down  on  the  grass  on  the  farther  slope 
overlooking  the  rolling  lands,  with  the  blue  spurs  in  the  dis- 
tance. There  Middleton  threw  himself  at  Blair's  feet.  He 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  stake  all  before  he  left.  As  the 
old  mammy  passed  from  the  kitchen  to  the  house  she  made 
a  little  detour  and  cast  a  glance  through  the  grove.  The 
glint  of  a  white  dress  through  the  trees  caught  her  eye,  and 
she  gave  a  little  sniff  as  she  went  on. 

An  hour  later,  Middleton,  his  face  as  grave  as  it  had  ever 
been  in  battle,  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  away  without 
returning  to  the  house,  and  Blair  Gary  walked  back  through 
the  grove  alone.  She  turned  across  to  the  smaller  house 
which  the  old  mammy  occupied.  It  was  empty,  and  she 
entered  and  flung  herself  on  the  snowy  counterpaned  bed. 

The  old  woman  came  in  a  moment  later.  She  gave  the 
girl  a  swift  glance,  and,  turning  to  the  window,  dropped 
the  white  curtain  to  shut  out  the  slanting  afternoon  sun. 

"  'Taint  no  use  to  'sturb  yo'self,  honey  ;  he  ain'  gone.'1 


CAPTAIN   MIDDLETON  IS   ORDERED   WEST        185 

she  said,  sympathizingly.  "  He  comin'  back  jest  so  sho'  as 
I  live/' 

"  He  has  gone,"  said  Blair,  suddenly,  with  some  vehe- 
mence. "I  have  sent  him  away.  I  wish  he  had  never 
come."  But  was  she  thinking  of  Middleton  ? 

The  old  woman  had  turned  and  was  looking  down  at  her 
from  where  she  stood. 

"An*  I  glad  you  is,"  she  said.  "I  ain't  like  Yankees, 
no  way.  Dat  deah  Leech  man " 

"  Mammy,"  said  Blair,  rising,  "I  do  not  wish  you  to 
speak  so  of  a  gentleman — who — who  has  been  our  guest." 

"  Yes,  honey,  dat's  so,"  s"aid  the  old  woman,  simply, 
without  the  least  surprise.  "  Mammy,  won't  say  no  more 
about  him.  What  I  got  to  do  wid  abusin'  a  gent'man,  no- 
how!" 

"Oh  !  Mammy  !  "  said  the  girl,  throwing  her  arms  about 
her,  and  the  old  woman  only  said  : 

"  Yes,  honey — yes — yes.  But  don't  you  pester  yoreself. 
"'T'll  all  come  right." 

Next  evening  the  news  that  Middleton  and  his  company 
were  ordered  away  was  known.  Jacquelin  was  conscious 
of  his  heart  giving  a  bound  of  joy.  He  would  be  only 
cool  and  chilling  to  Blair  and  show  her  by  his  manner 
how  disapprovingly  he  regarded  her  conduct.  After  a  lit- 
tle, this  mood  changed  and  he  began  to  think  it  would  be 
more  manly  to  be  only  very  dignified  and  yet  show  her  that 
he  was  above  harboring  little  feelings.  He  would  be  gen- 
erous and  forgive  her.  When,  however,  he  met  Blair,  she 
was  so  far  from  showing  any  contrition,  that  she  was  actu- 
ally savage  to  him;  so  that  instead  of  having  an  opportunity 
to  display  his  lofty  feelings,  Jacquelin  found  himself  thrown 
into  a  situation  of  the  strongest  hostility  to  her,  and  after 
a  lifetime  of  friendship  they  scarcely  spoke.  Their  friends 
tried  to  patch  up  the  quarrel,  but  in  vain.  Jacquelin  felt 
himself  now  really  aggrieved,  and  Blair  declined  to  allow 
even  the  mention  of  him.  Her  severity  toward  him  was 
almost  incomprehensible. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  NEW  TKOOP  MEETS  THE   ENEMY 

THE  difference  between  the  old  company  and  the  new 
one  which  came  in  its  place,  was  marked  in  many  ways 
besides  color,  and  the  latter  had  not  been  in  the  county  an 
hour  before  the  people  knew  that  the  struggle  was  on,  and 
set  themselves  to  prepare  for  it. 

The  evening  of  the  arrival  of  the  new  company,  Jerry 
entered  Captain  Allen's  office  somewhat  hastily,  and  busied 
himself  with  suspicious  industry.  Presently  Steve  looked 
at  him  amusedly. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  now  ? — grandmother  dead 
again  ?  If  you  get  drunk  Fll  thrash  you  within  an  inch 
of  your  life." 

Jerry  giggled. 

"Done  sent  a  company  o'  niggers  heah/'  he  announced, 
with  something  very  like  a  grin  as  he  cut  his  eyes  at  his 
master. 

"Negroes — hey?"  Steve's  expression  did  not  change 
a  particle,  and  Jerry  looked  disappointed.  If  anything, 
there  was  a  little  more  light  in  Steve's  eyes,  but  they  were 
gazing  out  of  the  window,  and  Jerry  could  not  see  them. 

"  Leech  back  ?"  asked  Mr.  Allen,  indifferently. 

"  Don'  know,  suh — Fll  fine  out."  The  look  on  Jerry's 
face  once  more  became  pleasant. 

Just  then  the  sound  of  a  distant  bugle  came  in  at  the 
window,  and  Steve  rose  and  walked  to  the  door  of  his  office. 
The  doors  of  several  other  offices  were  filled  about  the  same 
moment.  Steve  walked  down  to  the  fence  in  front  of  the 
court  green,  and  stood  leaning  against  it  listlessly,  watching 

186 


THE   NEW   TKOOP   MEETS   THE   ENEMY  187 

as  the  company  came  up  the  road,  with  bugle  blowing,  dust 
rising,  and  a  crowd  of  young  negroes  running  beside  them. 

"  Halt ! "  The  Captain,  a  stout,  red-faced  man,  turned 
his  horse,  and  waved  his  sword  to  the  negroes  in  the  road. 
"Pull  that  fence  down."  He  indicated  the  panel  where 
Steve  stood,  adding  a  string  of  oaths  to  stir  the  negroes 
from  their  dulness.  A  dozen  men  jumped  toward  the 
fence.  Steve  never  budged  an  inch.  With  his  arms  rest- 
ing on  the  rail,  he  looked  the  Captain  in  the  eye  calmly, 
then  looked  at  the  negroes  before  him,  and  kept  his  place. 
Except  for  a  slight  dilatation  of  the  nostrils  he  might  not 
have  known  that  there  was  a  soldier  within  a  hundred 
miles.  The  men  hesitated  a  second,  then,  just  as  the  Cap- 
tain began  to  swear  again,  ran  to  the  next  panel  and  tore 
it  down  even  with  the  ground,  dragging  the  posts  out  of 
their  holes,  and  making  a  wide  breach  through  which  the 
company  passed  into  the  court-yard  to  the  old  camp  which 
Middleton's  company  had  occupied. 

As  Steve  turned  away  he  said  to  a  man  near  him  : 

"  Seventy-nine  negroes,  and  three  white  men.  We  can 
manage  them.  Jerry,  saddle  my  horse,  and  find  out  when 
Leech  is  coming  back — and  where  Captain  McRaffle  is." 

"  Yes,  suh,"  and  Jerry,  with  a  shrewd  look,  disappeared. 

When  Jerry  returned,  his  master  was  writing,  and  as  he 
did  not  look  up,  Jerry  went  into  the  inner  room,  and 
shortly  brought  out  a  pair  of  saddle-bags,  and  a  pair  of 
pistols. 

Steve  had  just  finished  his  letters,  and  was  sealing  them. 
Jerry  gave  his  report. 

"  Nor,  suh,  he  ain'  come  yet ;  but  dee's  'spectin'  of  him, 
de  Cap'n  says.  Cap'n  McRaffle,  he's  away,  too." 

"  I  thought  as  much.  Take  this  letter  over  to  the  Gen- 
eral. These  two  are  for  Mr.  Hurley  and  Mr.  Garden.  If 
Fm  not  here,  come  up  to  Dr.  Gary's  to-morrow  morning." 

"Yes,  suh — yo'  horse  is  in  de  stable.  Fll  take  de  saddle 
bags  over  dyah." 

Steve  buckled  one  pistol  on  under  his  coat,  put  the  other 


188  KED   ROCK 

in  his  saddle-bags,  and  went  out.  He  sauntered  across 
to  where  the  company  was  pitching  camp.  The  throng  of 
negroes  was  already  increasing.  A  tall,  black  sergeant, 
with  great  pompousness,  was  superintending  the  placing 
of  the  lines,  cursing  and  damning  his  men,  with  much  im- 
portance, for  the  benefit  of  the  crowd  around.  Sweeping 
the  crowd  aside,  Steve  walked  right  up  to  him. 

"Boy,  where's  your  Captain  ?"  The  Sergeant  turned 
and  faced  him.  Perhaps,  had  Steve  been  ten  feet  off  the 
soldier  might  have  been  insolent ;  but  Captain  Allen  was 
close  up  to  him,  and  there  was  that  about  him,  and  the 
tone  of  command  in  which  he  spoke,  which  demanded 
obedience.  The  Sergeant  instinctively  pointed  to  the 
other  side  of  the  camp. 

"  Go  and  tell  him  that  Captain  Allen  wishes  to  speak  to 
him.  Go  on."  Impelled  by  the  tone  of  authority,  the 
imperative  gesture,  and  the  evident  impression  made  on 
the  crowd,  the  Sergeant  moved  off,  with  Steve  at  his  heels. 

"  Dat's  one  oj  my  young  marsters — he  wuz  a  gret  soldier," 
said  one  of  the  old  negroes  just  outside  the  camp  to  a  squad 
near  him. 

Steve  and  the  Sergeant  found  the  Captain  sitting  against 
a  tree  smoking.  He  was  a  heavy-looking  man,  with  a  red 
face.  Steve  took  in  the  familiarity  with  which  the  Ser- 
geant addressed  him,  and  governed  himself  accordingly. 

"  Here,  boy — "  Steve  gave  the  negro  a  five-dollar  note, 
not  the  less  coolly  because  it  was  his  last ;  thanked  him  as 
he  would  have  done  any  other  servant,  only,  perhaps,  with 
a  little  more  condescension,  and  addressed  himself  to  the 
officer. 

"  Captain,  I  am  Captain  Allen,  and  I  have  come  to  have 
an  understanding  with  you  at  the  outset." 

Perhaps,  his  very  assurance  stood  him  in  stead.  Had  he 
been  a  victor  dictating  terms  he  could  not  have  done  it 
more  coolly. 

"  You  have  seventy-nine  men  and  three  officers — I  have 
ten  times  as  many." 


THE   NEW  TROOP   MEETS   THE   ENEMY  189 

"  Major  Leech — told  me — "  began  the  Captain. 

"Your  Major  Leech  is  a  liar,  and  a  coward,  and  yon 
will  find  it  so.  We  propose  to  obey  the  laws,  but  we  do 
not  mean  to  be  governed  by  negroes,  and  if  you  attempt  it 
you  will  commit  a  great  mistake."  He  walked  back  through 
the  camp  inspecting  the  horses,  leaving  the  other  to  wonder 
who  and  what  he  could  be. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  officer  had  called  a  guard,  but 
Steve  was  already  riding  out  the  back  lane  toward  the  up- 
per part  of  the  county. 

Leech  arrived  on  the  next  train  after  that  which  brought 
the  new  troops.  He  opened  a  law  office  in  a  part  of  the 
building  occupied  by  his  commissary,  and  announced  him- 
self as  a  practitioner  of  the  law,  as  well  as  the  Provost  of 
the  county. 

He  had  evidently  strengthened  his  hands  during  his  ab- 
sence. Kraf  ton,  who  appeared  now  to  be  the  chief  author- 
ity in  the  State,  was  in  constant  communication  with  him. 

Leech  boasted  openly  that  he  had  had  Middleton's  com- 
pany removed,  and  he  began  to  exercise  new  functions. 
The  new  company  seemed  to  be  under  his  authority. 

Within  a  few  weeks  Dr.  Gary  and  the  other  civil  officers 
in  the  county  received  notices  from  Leech  vacating  their 
commissions  on  the  ground,  among  others,  that  they  had 
exceeded  their  powers.  Still  was  appointed  Justice  of  the 
Peace  in  place  of  Dr.  Gary,  and  Nicholas  Ash  was  made 
Gonstable.  Their  services  were  not  in  immediate  requisi- 
tion, however,  as,  for  the  time  being,  Leech  appeared  to  pre- 
fer to  exercise  his  military,  rather  than  his  civil,  powers. 
He  began,  forthwith,  to  send  out  the  soldiers  in  squads  on 
tours  throughout  the  county,  partly  to  distribute  rations, 
and  partly  to  patrol  the  country. 

They  had  not  been  at  this  business  long  when  they  be- 
gan bullying  and  tyrannizing  over  the  people  and  terroriz- 
ing them  as  far  as  possible.  At  first,  they  devoted  their 
energies  principally  to  the  whites,  and  the  negroes  were 
both  impressed  and  affected  by  their  power  and  insolence 


190  BED   ROCK 

But  after  more  than  one  of  the  marauders  were  shot,  they 
began  to  go  in  large  parties,  and  soon  turned  their  energies 
against  the  negroes  as  well  as  against  the  former  masters, 
and  were  quickly  almost  as  obnoxious  to  the  blacks  as  to 
the  whites.  Their  action  caused  intense  excitement  in  the 
county. 

Steve  Allen  had  almost  abandoned  his  law  practice,  or  at 
least  his  office,  and  spent  his  time  visiting  about  in  the  ad- 
joining counties.  Leech  took  it  as  a  sign  of  timidity  and 
breathed  the  freer  that  the  insolent  young  lawyer  was  away. 

"  I  mean  to  drive  him  and  that  Jacquelin  Gray  out  of 
the  county/'  he  boasted,  to  Still.  'Til  make  it  too  hot 
for  him." 

"  Wish  you  could,"  answered  Still,  devoutly.  "  But 
don't  you  go  too  fast.  They  ain't  the  sort  to  drive  easy. 
They  was  taken  up  late.  And  if  you  push  'em  too  hard 
there'll  be  trouble." 

Leech  sneered.  He  wished  Allen  would  do  something 
so  he  might  get  his  hand  on  him. 

"  You  don't  mean  nothin'  to  you  9  'Cause  if  he  got 
his  hand  on  you  first " 

"  No — I  ain't  afraid  of  him.  He  ain't  such  a  fool  as  to 
do  anything  to  me.  I  am  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  ! "  The  Provost  puif ed  out  his  bosom,  and  with  a 
look  of  satisfaction  glanced  at  himself  in  a  mirror. 

"  He  ain't  afeared  of  the  Gov'ment  or  nothin'  else.  I 
wish  he  was,"  declared  Still,  sincerely. 

"  Well,  he'd  better  be,"  asserted  Leech.  "  As  soon  as 
I  get  things  straight,  I  mean  to  make  him  give  an  account 
of  himself." 

Someone  soon  gave  an  account  of  himself.  A  consid- 
erable party  of  the  men  of  the  negro  troop,  under  com- 
mand of  a  sergeant,  was  "raiding,"  one  afternoon,  in  the 
upper  end  of  the  county,  when  an  incident  occurred 
which  had  a  signal  effect  on  both  the  company  and  the 
county.  They  had  already  "raided"  several  places  on 
their  tour  and  were  on  their  way  home,  their  saddle-bows 


THE  NEW   TROOP   MEETS  THE  ENEMY  191 

ornamented  with  the  trophies  of  their  rapacity:  from  sheep 
to  ladies'  bonnets,  when  toward  sunset  they  stopped  near 
the  edge  of  the  Red  Rock  plantation,  at  a  roadside  store, 
of  which  Mr.  Andy  Stamper  had  recently  become  the  owner. 
Mr.  Stamper  was  absent,  and  the  store  was  in  charge 
of  his  agent,  an  old  soldier  named  Michael. 

The  men  demanded  liquor.  They  took  all  they  wanted, 
and  called  in  a  number  of  negroes  and  made  them 
drunk  also.  Old  Waverley,  who  had  come  to  the  store 
to  make  some  little  purchases,  was  sitting  on  a  block, 
smoking.  Him  they  tried  to  induce  to  drink  too,  and 
when  he  declined,  they  hustled  him  a  good  deal  and 
finally  kicked  him  out  into  the  road.  He  was  a  "  worth- 
less old  fool  who  didn't  deserve  to  be  free,"  they  said. 
Then  in  their  drunken  folly  they  began  to  talk  of  going 
to  Red  Rock  and  ordering  supper  before  returning  to 
camp.  It  would  be  a  fine  thing  to  take  possession  of  that 
big  house  and  have  supper,  and  they  would  raid  Stamper's 
also  on  the  way.  They  knew  all  about  both  places,  and 
declared  that  they  ought  both  to  be  burnt  down.  Mean- 
time, they  demanded  more  liquor,  which  the  storekeeper 
seemed  suddenly  ready  to  furnish.  He  made  a  sign  to  old 
Waverley,  and  the  latter  slipped  off  and  took  a  path 
through  the  woods.  The  nearest  place  was  a  little  home- 
stead on  the  roadside,  belonging  to  a  man  named  Deals ; 
but  there  was  no  one  there  but  a  woman ;  her  husband 
had  gone  up  to  Mr.  Stamper's,  she  told  Waverley.  So 
warning  her  as  to  the  squad  of  negroes,  the  old  man  set 
out  as  hard  as  he  could  for  home.  Before  he  was  through 
the  woods,  however,  he  met  Rupert,  riding  down  to  the 
store  on  his  colt,  a  handsome  gray,  and  to  him  he  gave 
notice,  telling  him  that  the  store-keeper  was  doing,  what 
he  could  to  hold  the  men  there.  Rupert  wheeled  his 
horse,  and  was  off  like  a  shot,  and  when  Waverley 
emerged  from  the  woods,  he  saw  the  boy  a  half  mile  away, 
dashing  up — not  to  Red  Rock  ;  but  to  the  Stamper  place, 
which  stood  out,  off  to  one  side,  clear  on  its  little  hill,  a 


192  BED  ROCK 

straight  column  of  smoke  going  up  in  the  still  evening  air. 
It  seemed  to  the  old  man  that  there  were  a  number  of 
horses  standing  about  in  the  yard,  and  it  occurred  to  him 
to  wonder  if  the  soldiers  could  possibly  have  gotten  there 
already.  If  so,  his  young  master  would  be  in  danger  of 
being  hurt.  But  if  the  horsemen  were  soldiers  they  did 
not  remain  long ;  for  in  a  few  minutes  Waverley  saw  a 
number  of  men  mount  and  the  whole  party  ride  rapidly 
away  down  the  hill,  with  Eupert  on  his  gray  colt  among 
them.  Waverley  caught  one  more  glimpse  of  the  riders 
as  they  disappeared  at  a  gallop  in  the  wood,  going  in  the 
direction  of  the  store,  and  then  he  hurried  on  to  Eed  Rock, 
where  he  found  everything  quiet. 

Jacquelin  was  ill  in  bed  that  day,  and  Steve  Allen  had 
left  the  house  about  noon.  Rupert  had  gone  to  the  store 
for  the  mail.  Waverley  did  not  tell  anything  about  having 
seen  Rupert  go  off  with  the  men  from  Stamper's  ;  but  he 
turned  and  hurried  back  to  the  store,  thinking  now  only 
of  Rupert.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  heard  a  shot  or 
two  fired,  and  then  on  a  sudden  a -dozen  or  more.  The 
old  fellow  broke  into  a  run.  When  he  reached  the  edge 
of  the  woods  from  which  he  could  see  the  Deals's  home- 
stead he  stopped  appalled. 

A  half  dozen  negroes  lay  on  the  ground  dead  or  dying, 
and  a  half  dozen  young  white  men,  among  them  Captain 
McRaffle,  were  engaged  either  reloading  their  pistols  or 
talking.  Rupert  was  sitting  on  his  horse  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. 

The  little  company  of  men  Waverley  had  seen  were  a 
few  who  had  gathered  together  on  hearing  of  the  raid  that 
was  taking  place  in  the  neighborhood  that  day.  They  too 
had  heard  of  the  contemplated  visit  to  Red  Rock  and  the 
Stamper  place ;  for  Jerry  had  got  from  someone  that 
morning  a  hint  that  a  descent  was  to  be  made  on  these 
places. 

Shortly  after  Waverley  had  left  the  store  the  squad  of 
soldiers  had  started  for  Red  Rock  ;  but,  thinking  to  make 


THE  NEW  TROOP  MEETS  THE  ENEMY  193 

a  clean  sweep  as  they  went,  they  had  stopped  at  the  little 
house  on  the  way,  where  Waverley  had  warned  the  woman 
and  where  there  was  a  well,  to  take  another  drink.  They 
were  engaged  in  the  pleasant  amusement  of  looting  this 
place,  shooting  chickens,  etc.,  when  the  company  that 
Waverley  had  seen  ride  off  from  Stamper's  came  upon  them. 
It  was  well  for  Mrs.  Deals  that  the  young  men  arrived  when 
they  did,  for  the  troopers  were  tired  of  merely  destroying 
property,  and  just  as  the  white  men  rode  up  they  had 
seized  her.  Her  scream  hastened  the  rescuing  party. 
No  one  knew  for  a  long  time  who  composed  the  party  ; 
for  in  five  minutes  every  one  of  the  raiders  was  stretched  on 
the  ground,  and  the  two  or  three  neighborhood-negroes 
who  were  with  them  were  sworn  to  secrecy  under  threats 
which  they  feared  too  much  to  wish  to  break  their  oaths. 
There  was  excitement  enough  in  the  county  that  night, 
and  when  the  news  reached  the  court-house,  which,  owing 
to  the  picketing  of  the  roads,  it  did  not  do  till  next  morn- 
ing, the  citizens  were  prepared  for  the  consequences.  The 
comrades  of  the  dead  men  swore  they  would  burn  the  vil- 
lage and  carry  fire  and  sword  through  the  county  ;  but  it 
was  too  grave  a  matter  to  be  carried  through  too  heed- 
lessly. The  officers  suddenly  awoke  to  the  gravity  of  the 
situation,  which  was  well  for  them.  They  were,  no  doubt, 
aided  in  doing  so  by  the  appearance  of  two  or  three 
hundred  grave  -  looking  men  who  were  riding  into  town 
by  every  road  that  led  to  it,  silent  and  dusty  and 
grim.  They  were  of  every  age  and  condition,  and  they 
lacked  just  order  enough  not  to  appear  marching  troops  ; 
but  showed  enough  to  seem  one  body.  They  were  all  seri- 
ous and  silent,  and  with  that  something  in  their  deliberate 
movements  which,  whether  it  be  mere  resolution  or  des- 
peration, impresses  all  who  behold  it.  The  negroes  about 
the  village  who  had  been  in  a  flurry  of  excitement  since 
the  news  came  and  had  been  crowding  about  the  camp 
shouting  and  yelling,  suddenly  settled  down  and  melted 
out  of  sight,  and  even  the  soldiers  quieted  at  the  appear- 
13 


194  RED  ROCK 

ance  of  that  steadily  increasing  force  of  resolute  and  or- 
derly men  gathered  along  the  fences,  facing  the  camp. 
General  Legaie  and  Dr.  Gary  were  their  spokesmen, 
and  they  held  an  interview  with  the  Captain,  in  which 
they  gave  him  to  understand  certain  things  :  They  would 
obey  his  orders,  they  said,  if  he  sent  them  by  a  single 
messenger ;  but  if  armed  bodies  of  negroes  continued  to 
ravage  the  country  they  would  not  be  responsible  for  the 
consequences. 

Leech  was  not  to  be  found  that  afternoon.  He  had 
c'gone  to  the  city."  Jerry  learned  afterward  and  told 
Captain  Allen  that  he  did  not  go  until  that  night,  and  that 
when  the  crowd  was  there  he  was  hidden  at  Hiram  Still's. 

An  investigation  of  the  outbreak  was  held,  and  as  a  con- 
sequence Captain  McRaffle  and  several  young  men  left  the 
county,  among  them  Eupert  Gray,  who  was  sent  off  to 
school  to  an  academy  which  was  not  known  to  the  neigh- 
bors generally.  Another  result  was  that  the  old  county 
got  a  bad  name  with  those  who  were  controlling  the  des- 
tiny of  the  State,  which  clung  to  it  for  many  years.  Andy 
Stamper  was  arrested  for  the  affair,  and  was  taken,  hand- 
cuffed, by  Leech  and  thrown  in  jail.  Fortunately  for  him, 
however,  it  was  shown  that  he  was  absent  from  the  county 
that  day,  and  he  was  discharged.  All  of  these  things, 
however,  at  the  time  were  little  cared  for  by  the  residents 
there,  for  the  negro  troop  was  removed  and  two  white 
companies  were  sent  in  its  place.  The  disorder  breaking 
out  wherever  negro  troops  were  stationed  had  attracted 
attention  and  caused  the  substitution  of  white  soldiers. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

JACQUELIN    GKAY    GOES    ON   A   LONG   VOYAGE     AND    RED 
ROCK   PASSES   OUT   OF   HIS   HANDS 

JACQUELIN  had  never  recovered  from  the  rough  hand- 
ling which  he  had  received  that  night  from  Leech.  His 
wound  had  broken  out  afresh  and  he  was  now  confined  to 
his  bed  all  the  time.  There  was  one  cause  which,  perhaps, 
more  than  all  the  rest,  weighed  him  down,  and  that,  cer- 
tainly, Dr.  Gary  did  not  know,  though,  no  doubt,  Mrs. 
Gary  and  Mrs.  Gray  knew.  It  was  a  secret  wound,  deeper 
than  that  which  Dr.  Gary  was  treating.  He  had  never  been 
the  same  since  the  evening  of  his  misunderstanding  with 
Blair  Gary.  The  affair  in  which  the  negro  soldiers  were 
killed,  and  Rupert's  and  Steve's  part  in  it,  with  the  neces- 
sity of  sending  Rupert  away,  and  the  consequences  which 
followed,  seemed  to  be  the  finishing  stroke,  and  it  appeared 
to  be  only  a  question  of  a  few  months  with  Jacquelin. 

One  other  reason  for  his  anxiety  Dr.  Gary  had.  Re- 
ports of  threats  made  by  Leech  came  to  the  Doctor. 

"  Another  arrest,  and  he  will  go/'  said  Dr.  Gary.  "  "We 
must  get  him  away.  Send  him  first  to  a  city  where  he 
can  have  better  surgical  treatment  than  he  is  able  to  re- 
ceive in  the  country.  Then,  when  he  is  fit  for  it,  put  him 
on  a  sailing  vessel  and  send  him  around  the  world."  How 
cleverly  he  had  managed  it,  thought  the  Doctor  ! 

Mrs.  Gray  also  had  her  own  reasons  for  wishing  to  get 
Jacquelin  away,  though  they  were  not  mainly  what  Dr. 
Gary  thought.  With  a  keener  insight  than  the  good  Doc- 
tor had,  she  had  seen  Blair  Gary's  change  and  its  effect  on 
Jacquelin.  And  she  eagerly  sought  to  carry  out  the  Doc- 
tor's suggestions.  The  chief  difficulty  in  the  way  was 

195 


196  RED   KOCK 

want  of  funds.  The  demands  of  the  plantation,  according 
to  Mr.  Still's  account,  had  been  enough  of  late  to  consume 
everything  that  was  made  on  it.  The  negroes  had  to  be 
supported  whether  they  worked  or  not,  and  the  estate  was 
running  behind. 

The  Doctor  felt  certain  he  could  manage  the  matter  of 
means.  Hiram  Still  had  just  offered  to  lend  him  a  further 
sum.  Indeed,  Still  had  himself  brought  up  the  matter  of 
Jacquelin's  health,  and  had  even  asked  the  Doctor  if  he  did 
not  think  a  long  visit  somewhere  might  do  Jacquelin  good. 

"  He  is  a  strange  mixture,  that  man  Still.  He  is  un- 
doubtedly a  very  kind-hearted  man,"  asserted  the  Doctor. 

Mrs.  Gray  did  not  altogether  agree  with  her  cousin  in 
his  estimate  of  Still ;  she  had  her  own  opinion  of  him  ; 
but  she  was  somewhat  mollified  by  hearing  of  his  interest 
in  Jacquelin^s  welfare.  She  could  not,  however,  allow  her 
cousin  to  borrow  money  in  his  own  name  on  her  account, 
but,  in  the  face  of  Jacquelin's  steady  decline,  she  finally 
yielded  and  bowed  her  pride  so  far  as  to  permit  the  Doctor 
to  borrow  it  for  her,  only  stipulating  that  the  plate  and 
pictures  in  the  house  should  be  pledged  to  secure  it.  This 
would  relieve  her  partly  from  personal  obligations  to  Still. 
One  other  stipulation  she  made  :  that  Jacquelin  was  not  to 
know  of  the  loan. 

When  the  Doctor  applied  to  Still  he  obtained  the  loan 
without  difficulty,  and  Still,  having  taken  an  assignment 
of  the  plate  and  pictures,  agreed  without  hesitation  to  his 
condition  of  silence,  even  expressing  the  deepest  interest 
in  Jacquelin's  welfare,  and  reiterating  his  protestations  of 
friendship  for  him  and  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  It  is  the  most  curious  thing/'  said  the  Doctor  to  Mrs. 
Gary,  afterward  :  "  I  never  apply  to  that  man  without 
his  doing  what  I  ask.  I  always  expect  to  be  refused.  I 
am  always  surprised — and  yet  my  suspicion  is  not  relieved 
— I  do  not  know  why  it  is.  I  think  I  must  be  a  very  sus- 
picious man." 

Mrs.  Gary's  mouth  shut  closely.    But  she  would  not  add 


JACQUELIN   OKAY   GOES   ON   A  VOYAGE          197 

to  her  husband's  worries  by  a  suggestion,  the  very  idea  of 
which  she  thought  was  an  indignity. 

"  I  wish  you  had  not  applied  to  him/'  she  said.  "  I 
do  not  want  to  be  under  any  obligations  to  him  whatever. 
I  do  not  think  Helen  should  have  asked  it  of  you." 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  !  "  said  the  Doctor.  "  She  didn't  ask  it 
of  me,  I  offered  it  to  her." 

"  I  cannot  bear  him,"  declared  Mrs.  Gary,  with  the  tone 
of  one  who  delivers  a  convincing  argument.  "  And  the 
son  is  more  intolerable  than  the  father.  It  requires  all  my 
politeness  to  prevent  my  asking  him  out  of  the  house  when- 
ever he  comes.  He  comes  here  entirely  too  often." 

"  My  dear,  he  is  a  young  doctor  who  is  trying  to  practise 
his  profession,  and  needs  advice,"  expostulated  the  old 
doctor,  but  Mrs.  Gary  was  not  to  be  convinced. 

"  A  young  doctor,  indeed  !  a  young — "  The  rest  of  the 
sentence  was  lost  as  she  went  out  with  her  head  in  the  air. 

When  the  matter  of  removing  Jacquelin  was  broached  to 
him,  a  new  and  unexpected  difficulty  arose.  He  refused 
to  go.  The  idea  of  his  getting  better  treatment  than  Dr. 
Gary  was  able  to  give  was,  he  said,  all  nonsense,  and  they 
could  not  stand  the  expense  of  such  a  plan  as  was  proposed. 
In  this  emergency  his  mother  was  forced  to  bow  her  pride. 
She  summoned  Blair  Gary  as  an  ally.  Blair  yielded  so  far 
as  to  add  an  expression  of  her  views  to  the  mother's,  be- 
cause she  did  not  know  how  to  refuse ;  but,  with  a  wom- 
an's finesse,  she  kept  herself  within  limitations,  which 
Jacquelin,  at  least,  would  understand.  She  came  over  on 
a  visit,  and  went  in  to  see  him,  and  took  occasion  to  say 
that  she  thought  he  ought  to  go  to  the  city.  It  was  a 
very  prim  and  stiff  little  speech  that  she  made.  Jacque- 
lin's  face  showed  the  first  tinge  of  color  that  had  been  on  it 
for  months,  as  he  turned  his  eyes  to  her  almost  eagerly. 
So  impassive,  though,  was  she,  that  the  tinge  faded  out. 

"  Do  you  ask  me  to  go  ?  " 

"  No — I  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  only  think  you 
ought  to  do  what  your  mother  wishes."  The  mouth  was 


198  RED   ROCK 

closer  than  usual.  There  was  a  little  deeper  color  in  her 
face  now. 

"  Oh  !  it  was  only  a  moral  idea  you  wished  to  inculcate  ?  " 

"  If  you  choose  to  call  it  so."    The  mouth  drew  closer. 

«  Well— will  you  ask  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  mind  doing  it — for  your  mother."  It  was  no 
accident  that  a  woman  was  chosen  to  be  the  oracle  at  Delphi. 
Jacquelin  could  make  no  more  of  the  face  before  him  than 
if  he  had  never  seen  it  before,  and  he  had  studied  it  for 
years. 

Jacquelin  agreed  to  go  to  the  hospital.  So  he  was  sent 
off  to  the  city,  where  an  operation  was  performed  to  re- 
move some  of  the  splintered  bone  and  relieve  him.  And 
as  soon  as  he  was  well  enough  he  was  sent  off  on  a  sailing 
vessel  trading  to  China.  He  thus  escaped  the  increasing 
afflictions  that  were  coming  on  the  county,  and  his  mother, 
who  would  have  torn  out  her  heart  for  him,  for  fear  he 
would  come  home  if  he  knew  the  state  of  affairs,  kept  every- 
thing from  him,  and  bore  her  burdens  alone. 

The  burdens  were  heavy. 

The  next  few  years  which  passed  brought  more  changes 
to  the  old  county  than  any  years  of  the  war.  The  war  had 
destroyed  the  Institution  of  slavery ;  the  years  of  the  carpet- 
bagger's .  domination  well-nigh  destroyed  the  South.  As 
Miss  Thornasia  said,  sighing,  it  was  the  fulfilment  of  the 
old  prophecy  :  { '  After  the  sword  shall  come  the  canker- 
worm."  And  the  Doctor's  speech  was  recalled  by  some : 
"  You  ask  for  war,  but  you  do  not  know  what  it  is.  A 
fool  can  start  a  conflagration,  but  the  Sanhedrim  cannot 
stop  it.  War  is  never  done.  It  leaves  its  baleful  seed  for 
generations." 

Dr.  Gary,  when  he  uttered  this  statement,  had  little  idea 
how  true  it  was. 

Events  had  proved  that  although  the  people  were  im- 
poverished, their  spirit  was  not  broken.  Unhappily,  the 
power  was  in  the  hands  of  those  who  did  not  understand 
them,  and  Leech  and  his  fellows  had  their  ear.  It  was 


JACQUELIN  GRAY   GOES   ON  A  VOYAGE         199 

deemed  proper  to  put  them  in  absolute  control.  Leech 
wrote  the  authorities  that  he  and  his  party  must  have  power 
to  preserve  the  Union  ;  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Welch  that  they 
must  have  it  to  preserve  the  poor  freedmen.  The  authori- 
ties promised  it,  and  kept  the  promise.  It  was  insanity. 

One  provision  gave  the  ballot  to  the  former  slave,  just  as 
it  was  taken  from  the  former  master.  An  act  was  so 
shrewdly  framed  that,  while  it  appeared  simply  to  be  in- 
tended to  secure  loyalty  to  the  Union,  it  was  aimed  to  strike 
from  the  rolls  of  citizenship  almost  the  entire  white  pop- 
ulation of  the  South  ;  that  is,  all  who  would  not  swear 
they  had  never  given  aid  or  comfort  to  the  Confederacy. 
It  was  so  all-embracing  that  it  came  to  be  known  as  the 
"  ironclad  "  oath. 

<(  It  is  the  greatest  Kevolution  since  the  time  of  Poland," 
said  Dr.  Gary,  his  nostrils  dilating  with  ire.  "  They  have 
thrown  down  the  man  of  intelligence,  character,  and 
property,  and  have  set  up  the  slave  and  the  miscreant. 
( Syria  is  confederate'with  Ephraim/  More  is  yet  to  come." 

"  It  is  the  salvation  of  the  Union,"  wrote  Leech  to  Mrs. 
Welch,  who  was  the  head  of  an  organization  that  sent  boxes 
of  clothes  to  the  negroes  through  Leech.  Leech  was  be- 
ginning to  think  himself  the  Union. 

While  General  Legaie  and  Steve  Allen  were  discussing 
constitutional  rights  and  privileges,  and  declaring  that  they 
would  never  yield  assent  to  any  measures  of  the  kind  pro- 
posed, a  more  arbitrary  act  than  these  was  committed  : 
the  State  itself  was  suddenly  swept  out  of  existence,  and  a 
military  government  was  substituted  in  its  place  ;  the  very 
name  of  the  State  on  which  those  gentlemen  and  their  an- 
cestors had  prided  themselves  for  generations  was  extin- 
guished and  lost  in  that  of  "  Military  District,  Number 
."  The  old  State,  with  all  others  like  it,  ceased  to  be. 

Colonel  Krafton  was  the  chief  authority  in  that  part  of 
the  State,  and  Major  Leech,  as  he  was  now  called,  was  his 
representative  in  the  county.  And  between  them  they  had 
the  enforcement  of  all  the  measures  that  were  adopted. 


200  BED   ROCK 

When  their  hands  were  deemed  strong  enough,  it  was  de- 
termined to  give  them  the  form  of  popular  government. 

It  was  an  easy  process  ;  for  the  whites  had  been  disfran- 
chised, and  only  the  negroes  and  those  who  had  taken  the 
ironclad  oath  could  vote. 

At  the  first  election  that  was  held  under  the  new  system, 
the  spectacle  was  a  curious  one.  Kraf  ton  was  the  candidate 
for  governor.  Most  of  the  disfranchised  whites  stayed 
away,  haughtily  or  sullenly,  from  the  polls,  where  ballots 
were  cast  under  a  guard  of  soldiers.  But  others  went  to 
see  the  strange  sight,  and  to  vent  their  derision  on  the  de- 
tested officials  who  were  in  charge.  Dr.  Gary  and  General 
Legaie,  with  most  men  of  their  age  and  stamp,  remained 
at  home  in  haughty  and  impotent  indignation. 

"  Why  should  I  go  to  see  my  former  wagon-driver  stand- 
ing for  the  seat  my  grandfather  resigned  from  the  United 
States  Senate  to  take  ?  "  asked  General  Legaie,  proudly. 

Steve  Allen  and  Andy  Stamper,  however,  and  many  of 
the  young  men  were  on  hand. 

Leech  and  Nicholas  Ash  were  the  candidates  for  the  Leg* 
islature,  and  Steve  went  to  the  poll  where  he  thought  it 
likely  Leech  would  be.  Steve  had  become  a  leader  among 
the  whites.  Both  men  knew  that  it  was  now  a  fight  to  the 
finish  between  them,  and  both  always  acted  in  full  con- 
sciousness of  the  fact.  Leech  counted  on  his  power,  and 
the  force  he  could  always  summon  to  his  aid,  to  hold  Steve 
in  check  until  he  should  have  committed  some  rashness 
which  would  enable  him  to  destroy  him.  Steve  was  con- 
scious that  Leech  was  personally  afraid  of  him,  and  he 
relied  on  this  fact — taking  every  occasion  to  assert  him- 
self— as  the  master  of  a.  treacherous  animal  keeps  ever 
lacing  him,  holding  him  with  the  spell  of  an  unflinching 
eye. 

The  negroes  were  led  in  lines  to  cast  their  votes. 

It  was  a  notable  thing  that  in  all  the  county  there  was 
not  an  angry  word  that  day  between  a  white  man  and  a 
negro.  Leech,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Welch  describing  the 


JACQUELIN   GRAY   GOES   ON   A   VOYAGE         201 

occasion,  declared  that  the  quietness  with  which  the  elec- 
tion passed  off  was  due  wholly  to  the  presence  of  the 
soldiery,  and  he  was  very  eloquent  in  his  denunciation  of 
the  desperadoes  who  surrounded  him,  and  who  were  held 
at  bay  only  by  fear  of  the  bayonets  about  them.  But  this 
was  not  true.  The  situation  was  too  novel  not  to  be  in- 
teresting, and  there  was  feeling,  but  it  was  suppressed.  It 
was  a  strange  sight,  the  polls  guarded  by  soldiers ;  the 
men  who  had  controlled  the  country  standing  by,  disfran- 
chised, and  the  lines  of  blacks  who  had  just  been  slaves, 
and  not  one  in  one  hundred  of  whom  could  read  their  bal- 
lots, voting  on  questions  which  were  to  decide  the  fate 
of  the  State.  There  were  many  gibes  flung  at  the  new 
voters  by  the  disfranchised  spectators,  but  they  were  mainly 
good-natured. 

"  Whom  are  you  voting  for,  Uncle  Gideon  ? "  asked 
Steve  of  one  of  the  old  Red  Rock  negroes. 

"Marse  Steve,  you  know  who  I  votin'  for  bettern  I 
does  myself." 

To  another : 

"  Whom  are  you  voting  for  ?  " 

"  Gi'  me  a  little  tobacker,  Marse  Steve,  an*  I'll  tell 
you."  And  when  it  was  given,  he  turned  to  the  crowd  : 
"  Who  is  I  votin'  for  ?  I  done  forgit.  Oh  !  yes — old  Mr. 
Linkum — ain'  dat  he  name  ?  " 

"Well,  he's  a  good  one  to  vote  for — he's  dead/'  said 
Steve. 

"Hi  !  is  he?  When  did  he  die  ?"  protested  the  old 
man  in  unfeigned  astonishment. 

"You  ain'  votin'  for  him  —  you'se  votin'  for  Mist' 
Grant,"  explained  another  younger  negro,  indignant  at  the 
old  man's  ignorance. 

"Is  I  ?  Who's  he  ?  He's  one  I  ain'  never  heard  on. 
Marse  Steve,  I  don'  know  who  I  votin'  for — I  jis  know 
I  votin',  dat's  all." 

This  raised  a  laugh  at  Steve's  expense  which  was  led  by 
Leech,  and  to  atone  for  it  the  old  servant  added  : 


202  RED   KOCK 

"I  done  forgit  de  gent'man's  name." 

"  The  gentlemen  you  are  voting  for  are  Leech  and 
Nicholas  Ash,"  said  Steve. 

"  Marse  Steve,  you  know  dey  am'  no  gent'mens,"  said  the 
old  fellow,  undisturbed  hy  the  fact  that  Leech  was  present. 

"Uncle  Tom,  you  know  something,  anyhow,"  said 
Steve,  enjoying  the  Provost's  discomfiture. 

The  only  white  man  of  any  note  in  the  upper  end  of  the 
county  who  took  the  new  "  ironclad "  oath  was  Hiram 
Still.  Andy  Stamper  met  him  after  Hiram  had  voted. 
Still  tried  to  dodge  him. 

"  Don't  run,  Hiram,"  said  the  little  Sergeant,  con- 
temptuously, "  I  ain't  a  going  to  hurt  ye.  The  war's  over. 
If  I  had  known  at  the  time  you  was  givin'  the  Yanks  in- 
formation, I  might  V  done  it  once — and  I  would  advise 
you,  Hiram,  never  to  give  'em  too  much  information  about 
me  now.  You've  already  giv'  'em  too  much  once  about 
me.  See  there  ?  "  He  stretched  out  his  arm  and  showed 
a  purple  mark  on  his  wrist.  It  was  the  scar  that  had  been 
left  by  the  handcuff  when  he  was  arrested  for  the  riot  at 
Deal's.  "It  won't  come  out  You  understand?"  The 
little  fellow's  eyes  shot  at  the  renegade  so  piercing  a  glance 
that  Still  cowered  and  muttered  that  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  him  one  way  or  another. 

"  Maybe,  if  you  didn't  give  no  aid  and  comfort  to  the 
rebels  you'd  like  to  give  me  back  that  little  piece  of  paper 
you  took  from  my  old  mother  to  secure  the  price  of  that 
horse  you  let  me  have  to  go  back  in  the  army  ? "  drawled 
Stamper,  while  one  or  two  onlookers  laughed. 

The  renegade  made  his  escape  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Still's  reply  to  the  contempt  that  was  visited  on  him  was 
to  bring  suit  on  the  bonds  he  held.  Leech  was  his  coun- 
sel. One  of  the  first  suits  was  against  Andy  Stamper. 
Andy  was  promptly  sold  out  under  the  deed  which  had 
been  given  during  the  war  ;  the  place  was  bought  by  Still, 
and  Andy  and  Delia  rented  another  little  house.  This 
was  only  the  beginning,  however. 


JACQUELIN   GEAY   GOES   ON   A   VOYAGE         203 

When  Still  flung  away  his  mask,  he  went  as  far  as  he 
dared.  It  was  now  open  war,  and  he  had  thrown  in  his 
fortune  with  the  other  side. 

Dr.  Gary  received  a  note  one  morning  from  Mrs.  Gray 
asking  him  to  come  and  see  her  immediately.  He  found 
her  in  a  state  of  agitation  very  unusual  with  her.  She 
had  the  night  before  received  a  letter  from  Still,  stating 
that  he  was  a  creditor  of  her  husband's  estate  and  held  his 
bonds  for  over  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mrs.  Gray  had 
known  that  there  were  some  outstanding  debts  of  her 
husband  due  him,  though  she  had  supposed  they  were 
nearly  paid  off — but  fifty  thousand  dollars  !  It  would 
take  the  whole  estate  ! 

"  "Why,  it  is  incredible/'  declared  the  Doctor.  "  Quite 
incredible  !  The  man  is  crazy.  You  need  give  yourself 
no  uneasiness  whatever  about  it.  I  will  see  him  and  clear 
up  the  whole  matter/' 

Yet,  even  as  the  Doctor  spoke,  he  recalled  certain  hints 
of  Still's,  dropped  from  time  to  time,  recently,  as  to  bal- 
ances due  by  his  former  employer  on  old  accounts  con- 
nected with  his  Southern  estate,  and  Mr.  Gray  was  a  very 
easy  man,  thought  the  Doctor,  who  believed  himself  one  of 
the  keenest  and  most  methodical  of  men. 

Women  love  to  have  encouragement  from  men,  even 
though  they  may  feel  the  reverse  of  what  they  are  told  to 
believe.  So  Mrs.  Gray  and  Miss  Thomasia  were  more 
comforted  than  they  could  have  found  ground  for. 

When  Dr.  Gary  did  look  into  the  matter,  to  his  amaze- 
ment he  found  that  the  bonds  were  in  existence.  Still  gave 
the  account  of  them  which  he  had  already  given  to  Leech, 
and  produced  some  corroborative  evidence  in  the  shape  of 
letters  relating  to  the  transaction  of  buying  and  stocking 
the  sugar  plantation.  There  was  hope  for  awhile  that  the 
writers  of  the  letters  might  be  able  to  throw  some  light  on 
the  matter,  but,  on  investigation,  it  turned  out  that  they 
were  without  exception  dead,  and  Mrs.  Gray  herself,  on 
seeing  the  big  bond,  pronounced  it  genuine,  and  declared 


204  RED   ROCK 

that  she  remembered  her  husband  once  spoke  of  it,  though 
she  thought  he  had  told  her  it  was  all  settled.  She  hunted 
all  through  his  papers,  but  though  she  found  other  bonds 
of  his  which  he  had  taken  in  she  could  find  no  record  of 
this  big  one.  Jacquelin  was  written  to,  but  in  his  reply 
he  said  that  no  matter  what  the  cost,  he  wanted  his 
father's  debts  paid.  So  no  defence  was  made  to  the  suit 
which  Still  had  instituted  by  Leech  as  his  counsel,  and 
judgment  was  obtained  by  default.  And  soon  afterward 
the  Red  Rock  place,  with  everything  on  it,  was  sold  under 
this  judgment  and  was  bought  in  by  Still  for  less  than 
the  amount  of  his  claim. 

Jacquelin  was  still  abroad  and  Mrs.  Gray  purposely  kept 
him  in  ignorance  of  what  was  going  on ;  for  her  chief 
anxiety  at  this  time  was  to  prevent  Jacqnelin  from  return- 
ing home  until  all  this  matter  was  ended.  He  had  written 
that  his  health  was  steadily  improving. 

Mrs.  Gray  did  not  remain  at  Red  Rock  twenty-four 
hours  after  Still  became  its  owner.  She  and  Miss  Tho- 
masia  moved  next  day  to  Dr.  Gary's,  where  they  were 
offered  a  home.  She  congratulated  herself  anew  that 
morning  that  Jacquelin  was  yet  absent. 

Mrs.  Gray  and  Miss  Thomasia  walked  out  with  their 
heads  up,  bidding  good-by  to  their  old  servants,  who  had 
assembled  outside  of  the  house,  their  faces  full  of  concern 
and  sorrow. 

There  was  hardly  a  negro  on  the  place  who  was  not  there. 
However  they  might  follow  Still  in  politics,  they  had  not 
yet  learned  to  forget  the  old  ties  that  bound  them  in  other 
matters  to  their  old  masters,  and  they  were  profoundly  af- 
fected by  this  step,  which  they  could  all  appreciate. 

"I  drives  you  away,  my  mistis,"  said  the  driver,  old 
Waverley.  "  I  prays  Gord  I  may  live  to  drive  you  back." 

"  Not  me,  Waverley  ;  but,  maybe,  this  boy,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray,  laying  her  hand  on  Rupert's  shoulder. 

"  Yes'm,  we  heah  him  say  he  comin'  back,"  said  the  old 
driver,  with  pride.  "  Gord  knows  we  hopes  so." 


JACQUEL1N   GRAY   GOES   ON   A  VOYAGE         205 

Just  then  Hiram  Still,  accompanied  by  Leech,  rode  up 
into  the  yard.  He  had  evidently  kept  himself  informed  as 
to  Mrs.  Gray's  movements.  He  rode  across  the  grass  and 
gave  orders  to  the  negroes  to  clear  away.  Mrs.  Gray  took 
not  the  least  notice  of  him,  but,  outraged  by  his  insolence, 
Rupert  suddenly  sprang  forward  and  denounced  him  pas- 
sionately. His  mother  checked  him  :  "  Rupert,  my  son." 
But  the  boy  was  wild  with  anger.  "  We  are  coming  back 
some  day,"  he  cried  to  Still.  "  You  have  robbed  us  ;  but 
wait  till  my  brother  returns." 

Both  Still  and  Leech  laughed,  and  Still  ostentatiously 
ordered  the  negroes  off.  Still  moved  in  that  afternoon. 

Before  Still  had  been  installed  in  his  new  mansion 
twenty-four  hours  he  repented  of  his  indiscretion,  if  not 
of  his  insolence.  He  was  absent  a  part  of  the  evening, 
and  on  his  return  he  heard  that  Captain  Allen  had  been 
to  see  him.  The  face  of  the  servant  who  gave  the  message 
told  more  than  the  words  he  delivered. 

"  What  did  he  want  ?"  Still  asked,  sharply. 

"  He  say  he  want  to  see  you,  and  he  want  to  see  you 
pussonally."  The  negro  looked  significant. 

"Well,  he  knows  where  to  find  me." 

"  Yes,  he  say  he  (/wine  fine  you — dat's  huccome  he  come, 
an'  he  gwine  keep  on  till  he  do  fine  you."  Still's  heart 
sank. 

"  I  don't  know  what  he  wants  with  me,"  he  growled,  as 
he  turned  away  and  went  into  the  house.  The  great  hall 
filled  with  pictures  had  never  looked  so  big  or  so  dark. 
The  eyes  fastened  on  him  from  the  walls  seemed  to  search 
him.  Those  of  the  "Indian-Killer"  pierced  him  wher- 
ever he  went. 

" Curse  them;  they  are  all  alike,"  he  growled.  "I 

wish  I  had  let  them  have  the  d d  rubbish.  I  would, 

but  for  having  to  take  that  one  down." 

Poor  Virgy,  who  had  been  given  the  room  that  had  for- 
merly been  Jacquelin's,  came  toward  him.  She  was  scared 
and  lonely  in  her  new  surroundings,  and  had  been  crying. 


206  BED   ROCK 

This  increased  her  father's  ill-humor.  He  inquired  if  she 
had  seen  Captain  Allen.  She  had,  but  he  had  only  bowed 
to  her ;  all  he  had  said  was  to  the  servant. 

"  Did  he  seem  excited  ?"  Still  asked. 

"No,  he  only  looked  quiet.  He  looked  like  one  of 
those  pictures  up  there."  It  was  an  unlucky  illustration. 
Her  father  broke  out  on  her  so  severely  that  she  ran  to  her 
own  room  weeping.  It  was  only  of  late  that  he  had  began 
to  be  so  harsh. 

Still,  left  alone,  sat  down  and  without  delay  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  Captain  Allen,  expressing  regret  that  he  had  been 
away  when  he  called.  He  also  wrote  a  letter  to  Dr.  Gary, 
which  he  sent  out  that  night,  apologizing  to  Mrs.  Gray  and 
calling  heaven  to  witness  that  he  had  not  meant  to  offend 
her,  and  did  not  even  know  she  was  on  the  place  when  he 
rode  up.  He  did  not  wait  for  replies.  The  next  morning 
before  daylight  he  left  for  the  city. 

"  I  would  not  mind  one  of  them,"  he  complained  to  his 
counsel,  Leech.  "  I'm  as  good  a  man  as  any  one  of  'em  ; 
but  you  don't  know  'em.  They  stick  together  like  Ind- 
ians, and  if  one  of  'em  got  hurt,  the  whole  tribe  would 
come  down  on  me  like  hornets." 

"  Wait  till  we  get  ready  for  'em/'  counselled  Leech. 
"We'll  bring  their  pride  down.  We'll  be  more  than  a 
match  for  the  whole  tribe.  Wait  till  I  get  in  the  Legis- 
lature ;  I'll  pass  some  laws  that  will  settle  'em."  His  blue 
eyes  were  glistening  and  he  was  opening  his  hands  and 
shutting  them  tightly  in  a  way  he  had,  as  if  he  were  crush- 
ing something  in  his  palms. 

"  That's  it— that's  it,"  said  Still,  eagerly. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

LEECH  AS  A  STATESMAN  AND   DK.  CABY  AS  A  COLLECTOR 
OF  BILLS 

WHEN"  Leech  arrived  at  the  capital  in  the  capacity  of 
statesman  he  found  the  field  even  better  than  he  had  antici- 
pated. It  was  a  strange  assembly  that  was  gathered  to- 
gether to  reconstruct  and  make  laws  for  a  great  State  after 
years  of  revolution.  The  large  majority  were  negroes  who, 
a  few  years  before,  had  been  barbers,  porters  in  hotels, 
cart-drivers,  or  body-servants,  with  a  few  new-comers  to  the 
State,  like  Leech  himself:  nomadic  adventurers,  who,  on 
account  of  the  smallness  of  their  personal  belongings,  were 
termed  "carpet-baggers."  Besides  these,  a  few  whites 
who,  in  hope  of  gain,  had  allied  themselves  with  the  new- 
comers ;  and  a  small  sprinkling  of  the  old  residents,  who 
had  either  been  Union  men  or  had  had  their  disabilities  re- 
moved, and  represented  constituencies  where  there  were 
few  negroes.  They  were  as  distinguishable  as  statues  in 
the  midst  of  a  mob.  But  the  multitude  of  negroes  who 
crowded  the  Assembly  halls  gave  the  majority  an  appear- 
ance of  being  overwhelming.  They  filled  the  porticos  and 
vestibules,  and  thronged  the  corridors  and  galleries  in  a 
dense  mass,  revelling  in  their  newly  acquired  privileges. 
The  air  was  heavy  with  the  smoke  of  bad  cigars,  which, 
however,  was  not  wholly  without  use,  as  the  scent  of  the 
tobacco  served  at  least  one  good  purpose ;  the  floors  were 
slippery  with  tobacco-juice.  The  crowd  was  loud,  pom- 
pous, and  good-natured.  Leech  looked  with  curiosity  on 
the  curious  spectacle.  He  had  had  no  idea  what  a  use- 
ful band  of  coadjutors  he  would  have.  He  took  a  survey 

S07 


208  RED   ROCK 

of  the  field  and  made  his  calculations  quickly  and  with 
shrewdness.  He  would  be  a  leader. 

"Looks  like  a  corn-shuckin',"  said  Still,  who  had  ac- 
companied his  friend  to  the  capital  to  see  him  take  his  seat. 
"  A  good  head-man  could  get  a  heap  of  corn  shucked." 

"Does  look  a  little  like  a  checker-board/'  assented 
Leech,  "and  I  mean  to  be  one  of  the  kings.  It's  keep 
ahead  or  get  run  over  in  this  crowd,  and  Fm  smart  as  any 
of  'em.  There's  a  good  cow  to  milk,  and  the  one  as  milks 
her  first  will  get  the  cream."  His  metaphors  were  becom- 
ing bucolic,  as  befitted  a  man  who  was  beginning  to  set  up 
as  a  planter. 

"  The  cream's  in  the  drippin's,"  corrected  Still. 

"  Not  of  this  cow,"  said  Leech. 

Leech  soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  quite  a  financier.  He 
talked  learnedly  of  bonds  and  debentures,  of  per  cents,  and 
guarantees,  and  dividends,  of  which  more  than  half  the 
body  did  not  even  know  the  meaning.  Once,  when  he  was 
speaking  of  the  thousands  of  "  bonds  "  he  would  put  on  a 
railway  to  the  mile,  one  of  his  confreres  asked  what  he 
would  put  in  so  many  barns. 

"  Ain't  you  heah  him  say  he's  gwine  have  a  million  o' 
stock  ?"  asked  another  colored  statesman,  contemptuously. 
The  answer  was  satisfactory. 

The  amount  of  spoil  which  in  time  was  found  to  be  di- 
vided was  something  of  which  not  even  Leech  himself,  at 
first,  had  any  idea.  The  railways,  the  public  printing,  in- 
surance, and  all  internal  improvements,  were  fertile  fields 
for  the  exercise  of  his  genius.  He  was  shortly  an  undis- 
puted power.  He  followed  his  simple  rule  :  he  led. 
When  someone  offered  a  resolution  to  put  down  new  mat- 
ting in  the  Assembly  hall,  Leech  amended  to  substitute 
Brussels  carpet.  To  prove  his  liberality  he  added  mahog- 
any furniture,  and  handsome  pier-glasses.  The  bills  went 
up  into  the  scores  of  thousands ;  but  that  was  nothing. 
As  Leech  said,  they  did  not  pay  them.  If  rumors  were  true, 
not  only  did  Leech  not  pay  the  bills,  he  partly  received 


LEECH  AS   A   STATESMAN"  209 

tlieir  proceeds.  His  aspirations  were  growing  every  day. 
He  had  no  trouble  in  carrying  his  measures  through.  He 
turned  his  committee-room — or  one  of  his  rooms,  for  he 
had  several — into  a  saloon,  where  he  kept  whiskey,  cham- 
pagne, and  cigars  always  free  for  those  who  were  on  his  side. 
"Leech's  bar"  became  a  State  institution.  It  was  open 
night  and  day  for  the  whole  eight  years  of  his  service.  He 
said  he  found  it  cheaper  than  direct  payment,  and  then  he 
lumped  all  the  costs  in  one  item  and  had  them  paid  by  one 
appropriation  bill,  as  "  sundries."  Why  should  he  pay,  he 
asked,  for  expenditures  which  were  for  the  public  benefit  ? 
And,  indeed,  why  ?  As  for  himself,  he  boasted  with  great 
pride  when  the  matter  came  up  at  a  later  time,  that  he 
never  touched  a  drop. 

He  had  "found  the  very  field  for  his  genius."  He 
boasted  to  Still  :  "  I  always  knew  I  had  sense.  Old  Kraf- 
ton  thinks  he's  running  the  party.  But  Fm  a  doin'  it. 
Some  day  he'll  wake  up  and  find  Fm  not  only  a  doin'  that, 
but  a  runnin'  the  State  too.  I  mean  to  be  governor."  His 
blue  eyes  twinkled  pleasantly. 

"  Don't  wake  him  up  too  soon,"  counselled  Still. 

One  of  the  statesman's  acts  was  to  obtain  a  charter  for 
a  railway  to  run  from  the  capital  up  through  his  county 
to  the  mountains.  Among  the  incorporators  were  him- 
self, Hiram  Still,  Still's  son,  and  Mr.  Bolter. 

"  How  will  you  build  this  road  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Haskelton, 
an  old  gentleman  who  had  been  a  Union  man  always — one 
of  the  few  old  residents  of  the  State  in  the  body. 

"  Oh !  we'll  manage  that,"  declared  Leech,  lightly. 
"  We  are  going  to  teach  you  old  moss-backs  a  few  things." 
And  they  did.  He  had  an  act  passed  making  the  State 
guarantee  the  bonds.  The  old  resident  raised  a  question 
as  to  the  danger  to  the  credit  of  the  State  if  it  should  go 
into  the  business  of  endorsing  private  enterprises. 

"The  credit  of  the  State  !"  Leech  exclaimed.     "What 
is  the  credit  of  the  State  to  us  ?    As  long  as  the  bonds  sell 
she  has  credit,  hasn't  she  ?  " 
U 


210  BED   ROCK 

This  argument  was  unanswerable. 

"  But  how  will  you  pay  these  bonds  ?  "  urged  Mr.  Has* 
kelton. 

"  I  will  tell  you  how  we  will  pay  them ;  we  will  pay 
them  by  taxes,"  replied  Leech. 

"Ay-yi!  Dat's  it  I"  shouted  the  dusky  throng  about 
him. 

"  Someone  has  to  pay  those  taxes." 

"Yes,  but  who  ?"  Leech  turned  to  his  associates  who 
were  hanging  on  his  words.  (e  Do  you  pay  them  ?  " 

"  Nor,  dat  we  don't,"  shouted  Nicholas  Ash. 

"  No,  the  white  people  pay  them — and  we  mean  to 
make  them  pay  them,"  declared  Leech. 

This  declaration  was  received  with  an  outburst  of  ap- 
plause, not  unmingled  with  laughter,  for  his  audience  had 
some  appreciation  of  humor. 

"  Lands  will  only  stand  so  much  tax,"  insisted  his  inter- 
locutor ;  ( '  if  you  raise  taxes  beyond  this  point  you  will  de- 
feat your  own  purpose,  for  the  lands  will  be  forfeited.  We 
cannot  pay  them.  We  are  already  flat  of  our  backs." 

"  That's  where  we  want  you,"  retorted  Leech,  and  there 
was  a  roar  of  approval. 

The  old  gentleman  remained  calm. 

"  Then  what  will  you  do  ?  "  he  persisted. 

f '  Then  we  will  take  them  ourselves,"  asserted  Leech, 
boldly.  He  looked  around  on  the  dusky  throng  behind 
him,  and  up  at  the  gallery,  black  with  faces.  "  We  will 
make  the  State  give  them  as  homes  to  the  people  who  are 
really  entitled  to  them.  They  know  how  to  work  them." 
A  great  shout  of  applause  went  up  from  floor  and  gallery. 
Only  the  old  gentleman,  gray  and  pallid,  with  burning 
eyes  stood  unmoved  amid  the  tumult. 

"You  cannot  do  this.     It  will  be  robbery." 

The  crowd,  somewhat  disturbed  by  his  earnestness, 
looked  at  Leech  to  hear  how  he  would  meet  this  fact. 
He  was  equal  to  the  emergency. 

"  Robbery,  is  it  ? "  he  shouted,  waving  his  arms,  and 


LEECH  AS  A  STATESMAN  211 

advancing  down  the  aisle.  "  Then  it  is  only  paying 
robbery  for  robbery.  Yon  have  been  the  robbers  !  You 
robbed  the  Indians  of  these  lands,  to  start  with.  You 
went  to  Africa  and  stole  these  free  colored  people  from 
•  their  happy  homes  and  made  them  slaves.  You  robbed 
them  of  their  freedom,  and  you  have  robbed  them  ever 
since  of  their  wages.  Now  you  say  we  cannot  pay  them  a 
little  of  what  you  owe  them  ?  We  will  do  it,  and  do  it 
by  law.  We  have  the  majority  and  by  —  !  we  will  make 
the  laws.  If  you  white  gentlemen  cannot  pay  the  taxes 
on  your  homes,  we'll  put  some  colored  ones  there  to  get 
the  benefit."  He  shook  his  hand  violently  in  the  vehe- 
mence of  his  speech.  And  again  the  crowd  roared. 

"  Don't  shake  your  finger  in  my  face,"  said  the  old  man 
so  quietly  that  only  Leech  heard  it.  He  backed  off. 

He  became  an  undisputed  leader.  "By  — !  I  had  no 
idea  I  was  such  an  orator,"  he  said  to  Still,  smiling. 

"  I  haven't  made  such  a  speech  as  that  since  just  before 
the  war.  I  made  that  old  coon  admit  he  was  flat  on  his 
back." 

"A  coon  fights  better  on  his  back  V  any  other  way," 
warned  Still. 

"Til  put  some  hunters  on  this  coon  that  will  keep  him 
quiet  enough,"  said  Leech.  "  I'll  arm  a  hundred  thousand 
niggers." 

Leech  made  good  his  promises.  The  expenditures  went 
up  beyond  belief.  But  to  meet  the  expenses  taxes  were  laid 
until  they  rose  to  double,  quadruple,  and,  in  some  parts  of 
the  State,  ten  times  what  they  had  been.  Meantime  he  had 
been  in  communication  with  Mr.  Bolter,  who  had  come 
down  and  paid  him  and  Still  a  flying  visit,  and  a  part  of 
the  bonds  of  his  railroad  were  "  placed." 

The  taxes,  as  was  predicted,  went  far  beyond  the  ability 
of  the  landowners  to  pay  them,  and  vast  numbers  of  plan- 
tations throughout  the  State  were  forfeited.  To  meet 
this  exigency,  Leech  was  as  good  as  his  word.  A  measure 
was  introduced  and  a  Land  Commission  was  appointed  to 


212  RED   ROCK 

take  charge  of  such  forfeited  lands  and  sell  them  to  his 
followers  on  long  terms,  of  fifteen  to  twenty  years.  Leech 
was  a  member  of  the  general  Commission  and  Still  was  ap- 
pointed agent  of  the  Board  in  his  section  of  the  State. 
Still  was  a  very  active  commissioner — "  efficient/'  the  , 
Commission  called  him. 

Several  places  were  sold  which  shortly  were  resold  to 
Leech  and  Still.  Leech  added  to  a  place  he  bought  on  the 
edge  of  Brutusville,  adjoining  General  Legaie's,  the  planta- 
tions of  two  old  gentlemen  near  him.  Sherwood  had  bought 
one  and  Moses  the  other.  Leech  gave  them  "  a  fair  ad- 
vance." He  said  it  was  "all  square."  He  was  now  wait- 
ing for  General  Legaie's  place. 

Leech  built  himself  a  large  house,  and  furnished  it  with 
furniture  richer  than  that  in  any  other  house  in  the  county. 
It  was  rumored  that  he  was  preparing  his  house  for  Virgy 
Still. 

Nicholas  Ash  bought  a  plantation  and  a  buggy  and  be- 
gan to  drive  fast  horses.  Many  of  their  fellow-lawmakers 
bloomed  out  in  the  same  way.  They  were  the  only  ones 
who  now  rode  in  carriages.  Their  proceedings  did  not 
affect  themselves  only.  They  reached  Dr.  Gary  and  General 
Legaie  and  the  old  proprietors  on  their  plantations,  quite 
as  directly,  though  in  the  opposite  way.  The  spoils  that 
Leech,  Still,  Governor  Kraf  ton  and  their  followers  received, 
someone  else  paid.  And  just  when  they  were  needed  most, 
the  negroes  abandoned  the  fields.  No  one  could  expect 
statesmen  to  work.  Cattle,  jewels,  and  plate  were  sold  as 
long  as  they  lasted,  to  meet  the  piled-up  taxes ;  but  in  time 
there  was  nothing  left  to  sell,  and  the  plantations  began  to 
go.  In  the  Red  Rock  neighborhood,  rumors  were  abroad 
as  to  the  destiny  of  the  various  places.  A  deeper  gravity 
settled  on  Dr.  Gary's  serious  face,  and  General  Legaie's 
lively  countenance  was  taking  on  an  expression  not  far 
from  grim.  It  was  less  the  financial  ruin  that  was  over- 
whelming them  than  the  dishonor  to  the  State.  It  was  a 
stab  in  their  bosoms. 


LEECH   AS   A   STATESMAN  213 

Mr.  Ledger  was  making  inquiries  as  to  the  possibility 
of  their  reducing  shortly  their  indebtedness  to  him,  and 
the  Doctor  was  forced  to  write  him  a  frank  statement  of 
affairs.  He  had  never  worked  so  hard  in  his  life,  he  wrote; 
he  had  never  had  so  much  practice ;  but  he  could  collect 
nothing,  and  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  meet  his  taxes. 

"Why  don't  you  collect  your  bills  ?"  naturally  inquired 
Mr.  Ledger. 

"  Collect  my  bills  ?  "  replied  the  Doctor.  "  How  can  I 
press  my  neighbors  who  are  as  poor,  and  poorer,  than  I  am?" 

However,  inspired  by  Mr.  Ledger's  application,  the  Doc- 
tor did  try  to  collect  some  of  the  money  due  him.  He 
did  not  send  out  his  bills.  He  had  never  done  that  in  his 
life.  Instead,  he  rode  around  on  a  collecting-tour.  He 
was  successful  in  getting  some  money  ;  for  he  applied  first 
to  such  of  his  debtors  as  were  thriftiest.  Andy  Stamper, 
who  had  just  returned  from  town  where  he  had  been  sell- 
ing sumac,  chickens,  and  other  produce,  paid  him  with 
thanks  the  whole  of  his  bill,  and  only  expressed  surprise 
that  it  was  so  small.  "  Why  I  thought,  Doctor,  'twould 
be  three  or  four  times  that  ?  "  said  Andy.  "  I've  kept  a 
sort  of  account  of  the  times  you've  been  to  my  house,  and 
seems  to  me  't  ought  to  be  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  that's  all  I  have  against  you/'  said  the  Doctor, 
placidly  ;  replying  earnestly  to  Andy's  voluble  thanks. 
"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you."  He  did  not  tell  Andy 
that  he  had  divided  his  accounts  by  three  and  had  had 
hard  work  to  bring  himself  to  apply  for  anything. 

This  and  one  or  two  other  instances  in  the  beginning  of 
his  tour  quite  relieved  the  Doctor  ;  for  they  showed  that, 
at  least,  some  of  his  neighbors  had  some  money.  So  he 
rode  on.  He  soon  found,  however,  that  he  had  gleaned 
the  richest  places  first.  On  his  way  home  he  applied  to 
others  of  his  patients  with  far  different  results.  Not  only 
was  the  account  he  received  very  sorrowful ;  but  the  tale  of 
poverty  that  several  of  them  told  was  so  moving  that  the 
Doctor,  instead  of  receiving  anything  from  them,  distrib- 


BED  ROCK 

nted  amongst  them  what  he  had  already  collected,  saying 
they  were  poorer  than  himself.  So  when  he  reached  home 
that  evening  he  had  no  more  than  when  he  rode  away. 

"Well,  Bess/'  he  said,  "it  is  the  first  time  I  ever 
dunned  a  debtor,  and  it  is  the  last."  Mrs.  Gary  looked  at 
him  with  the  expression  in  her  eyes  with  which  a  mother 
looks  at  a  child. 

"  I  think  it  is  just  as  well/'  she  said,  smiling. 

"  You  must  go  and  see  old  Mrs.  Bellows/'  he  said.  "  She 
is  in  great  trouble  for  fear  they'll  sell  her  place." 

Blair  Gary,  like  her  mother,  watched  with  constant  anx- 
iety the  change  in  her  father.  His  hair  was  becoming 
white,  and  his  face  was  growing  more  worn. 

At  length,  a  plan  which  she  had  been  forming  for  some 
time  took  definite  shape.  She  announced  her  intention 
of  applying  for  one  of  the  common  schools  which  had  been 
opened  in  the  neighborhood.  When  she  first  proposed 
the  plan,  it  was  received  as  if  she  were  crazy — but  her 
father  and  mother  soon  found  that  they  no  longer  had  a 
child  to  deal  with,  but  a  woman  of  sense  and  force  of  char- 
acter. The  reasons  she  gave  were  so  clear  and  unanswer- 
able that  at  length  she  overcame  all  objections  and  obtained 
the  consent  of  all  the  members  of  the  family  except  Mammy 
Krenda.  The  only  point  on  which  her  father  stood  out  for 
was  that  she  should  not  apply  for  one  of  the  schools  under 
the  new  county-managers.  A  compromise  was  effected  and 
she  became  the  teacher  of  the  school  that  had  been  built 
by  the  old  residents.  The  Mammy  still  stood  out.  The 
idea  of  "her  child"  teaching  a  common  school  outraged 
the  old  woman's  sense  of  propriety,  and  threw  her  into  a 
state  of  violent  agitation.  She  finally  yielded,  but  only  on 
condition  that  she  might  accompany  her  mistress  to  the 
school  every  day. 

This  she  did,  and  when  Miss  Blair  secured  the  little 
school  at  the  fork  in  the  road  not  far  from  their  big  gate, 
the  old  mammy  was  to  be  seen  every  day,  sitting  in  a  corner 
grim  and  a  little  supercilious,  knitting  busily,  while  her 


LEECH  AS  A   STATESMAN  215 

eyes  ever  and  anon  wandered  over  the  classes  before  her, 
transfixing  the  individual  who  was  receiving  her  mistress's 
attention  with  so  sharp  a  glance  that  the  luckless  wight 
was  often  disconcerted  thereby. 

As  old  Mr.  Haskelton  had  said,  the  old  residents  were 
fiat  on  their  backs.  Leech  was  of  this  opinion  when  he 
passed  his  measures.  But  remembering  Still's  warning,  to 
make  sure,  as  the  troops  had  been  withdrawn  from  the 
county,  he  put  through  a  bill  to  organize  a  State  militia, 
under  which  large  numbers  of  the  negroes  in  the  old 
county  and  throughout  the  State  were  formed  in  com- 
panies. 

He  had  other  plans  hatching  which  he  thought  they 
would  subserve. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HIRAM   STILL   COLLECTS    HIS   DEBTS 

THE  old  Doctor  had  become  the  general  adviser  of  his 
neighbors.  There  was  that  in  his  calm  face  and  quiet  man- 
ner which  somehow  soothed  and  sent  them  away  with  a  feel- 
ing of  being  sympathized  with,  even  when  no  practical  aid 
was  rendered.  "I  believe  more  people  consults  the  old 
Doctor  than  does  Mr.  Bagby  and  General  Legaie  together," 
said  Andy  Stamper ;  "and  he  don't  know  any  more  about 
the  way  to  do  business  these  days  than  my  baby.  To  be 
sure,  they  all  seem  to  be  helped  somehow  by  goinV 

It  was  soon  a  problem  whether  the  Doctor  could  keep 
his  own  place  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Commis- 
sion. He  had  often  wondered  why  it  had  not  been  listed, 
for  he  had  not  been  able  to  keep  the  taxes  down.  Though 
he  did  not  know,  however,  Hiram  Still  did. 

All  this  while  Blair  had  some  secret  on  her  mind.  She 
was  always  working.  She  would  be  up  before  sunrise, 
looking  after  her  chickens ;  and  in  the  afternoons,  when 
she  came  from  school,  and  all  day  in  the  summer,  she 
would  be  busy  about  the  kitchen  or  in  some  shaded  spot, 
back  among  the  fruit  trees,  where  kettles  were  hung  over 
fires,  and  Mrs.  Cary  at  times  gave  advice,  and  Mammy 
Krenda  moved  about  with  her  arms  full  of  dry  wood,  in 
a  mist  of  blue  smoke.  Sometimes  Steve  Allen  lounged 
in  the  shade,  at  the  edge  of  the  cloud,  giving  Blair  what 
he  termed  his  legal  advice,  and  teasing  Mammy  Krenda 
into  threats  of  setting  him  on  fire  "before  his  time." 
"  Making  preserves  and  pickles,"  was  all  the  answer  the 
Doctor  got  to  his  inquiries.  Yet  for  all  Miss  Blair's  work 

216 


HIRAM   STILL   COLLECTS  HIS  DEBTS  217 

there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  increase  in  the  preserves  that 
came  to  the  table,  and  when  her  father  inquired  once  if 
all  her  preserves  and  pickles  were  spoilt,  though  she  went 
with  a  laugh  and  a  blush  and  brought  him  some,  he  saw 
no  increase  in  them  afterward.  She  appeared  suddenly  to 
have  a  great  many  dealings  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stamper, 
and  several  times  Andy  Stamper's  wagon  came  in  the  Doc- 
tor's absence  and  took  away  loads  of  jars  which  were 
transported  to  the  railroad,  and  when  the  Doctor  accident- 
ally met  Andy  and  inquired  of  him  as  to  his  load  and  its 
destination,  Andy  gave  a  very  shuffling  and  cloudy  reply 
about  some  preserves  his  wife  and  some  of  her  friends 
were  sending  to  town.  Indeed,  when  the  Doctor  reached 
home  on  that  occasion,  he  spoke  of  it,  declaring  that  Mrs. 
Stamper  was  a  very  remarkable  young  woman ;  she  act- 
ually sent  off  wagon-loads  of  preserves.  He  asked  Blair 
teasingly  how  it  was  that  Mrs.  Stamper  could  do  this  while 
they  could  hardly  get  enough  for  the  table.  Blair  only 
laughed  and  made  a  warning  sign  to  Mammy  Krenda, 
who  was  sniffing  ominously  and  had  to  leave  the  room. 

At  length  the  secret  came  out.  One  day  the  Doctor 
came  home  worn  out.  The  taxes  were  due  again.  Blair 
left  the  room,  and  returning,  placed  a  roll  of  money  in 
his  hands.  It  was  her  salary  which  she  had  saved,  to- 
gether with  the  proceeds  of  the  kettle  in  the  orchard. 

"  That  will  help  you,  papa,"  she  said,  as  she  threw  her 
arms  round  his  neck.  ((  These  are  my  preserves." 

The  old  gentleman  was  too  moved  to  speak  before  she 
had  run  out  of  the  room.  After  a  little  he  went  to  find 
his  wife.  That  was  the  sanctuary  he  always  sought,  in  joy 
and  sorrow. 

"  I  reckon  now  he  know  de  Stampers  ain'  de  on'ies* 
ones  kin  meek  preserves,"  said  Mammy  Krenda,  with  a  sniff. 

That  very  evening  old  Mrs.  Bellows  came  to  see  the 
Doctor.  Mrs.  Bellows  was  the  aunt  of  Delia  Dove.  Her 
husband  had  been  a  blacksmith,  and  had  died  the  year 
after  the  war.  They  owned  a  little  place  near  the  fork 


218  BED  ROCK 

in  the  road,  just  on  the  edge  of  the  Birdwood  plantation, 
where  her  husband  had  in  old  times  made  a  good  living.  The 
house  was  a  little  cottage  set  back  amid  apple  and  peach 
trees  some  hundreds  of  yards  from  the  shop.  Since  her 
husband's  death,  Andy  Stamper  and  Delia  Dove  had 
helped  her ;  but  now,  since  Andy  had  been  turned  out  of 
his  old  home  and  was  paying  for  another,  the  times  had 
grown  so  hard  that  it  was  not  a  great  deal  they  could  do. 
Andy  thought  they'd  better  let  this  place  go  and  that  she 
should  come  and  live  with  them,  but  the  old  woman  had 
refused,  and  now  her  place  among  many  others  had  been 
forfeited  and  was  on  the  list  of  those  advertised  for  sale. 
And  Mrs.  Bellows  came  to  Dr.  Gary.  Still  had  his  eye  on 
her  home,  and  intended  to  buy  it  for  the  Commission. 
Andy  had  heard  that  Nicholas  Ash  wanted  it,  and  that 
Still  had  promised  it  to  him — "  just  out  of  spite  to  Andy 
and  Delia,"  the  old  woman  said.  She  was  in  a  great  state 
of  excitement. 

"  I  been  tellin'  Andy  'twant  no  use  to  be  fightin*  Still/' 
she  wailed ;  "  he's  too  smart  for  him.  If  he  could  git 
hold  o'  Red  Rock,  Andy  might  V  known  he  could  beat 
Mm." 

Dr.  Gary  sat  in  deep  reflection  for  a  moment.  He  had 
a  pang  as  he  thought  of  the  money  he  had  made  Andy 
pay.  The  sum  saved  by  Blair  was  only  a  small  part  of  the 
taxes  due  on  Birdwood,  but  was  enough  to  pay  all  the 
back  taxes  and  redemption  fees  on  Mrs.  Bellows's  place. 
It  looked  like  Providence.  The  Doctor  sent  her  away 
comforted.  Still's  plans  with  regard  to  the  Bellows  place 
soon  became  an  assured  fact.  He  boasted  of  what  he 
would  do.  He  would  show  Andy  Stamper  who  he  was. 
The  fact  that  it  would  be  Delia  Dove's  was  enough  for 
him,  and  it  became  known  throughout  the  county  that  the 
Commission  would  take  it.  When  the  day  of  sale  came, 
little  Andy  was  on  hand  at  the  county  seat.  Still  was 
there  too,  and  so  was  Nicholas  Ash.  Still  tried  to  find  out 
why  Andy  came.  He  knew  he  did  not  have  the  money  to 


HIRAM  STILL  COLLECTS  HIS  DEBTS  219 

redeem  the  place.    He  thought  it  was  to  pick  a  quarrel  with 
him ;  but  Andy's  face  was  inscrutable. 

Under  the  formality  of  the  law,  a  party  interested  could 
redeem  the  land  at  any  time  before  it  was  sold,  paying  the 
amount  due  to  the  clerk,  with  interest  and  fees.  Still  ex- 
amined the  list  just  before  the  crying  began.  The  Bellows 
place  was  still  on  it.  So  the  auction  began.  Andy  was 
closeted  with  old  Mr.  Dockett,  whose  duty  it  was,  as  clerk, 
to  receive  the  redemption  money ;  but  when  the  sale 
started,  he  came  out  and  sauntered  up  into  the  crowd. 
Several  places  belonging  to  persons  whose  names  began 
with  A,  were  put  up  and  knocked  down  to  "  Hiram  Still, 
Commissioner,"  and  as  each  one  went  to  him  there  were 
groans  and  hoots,  and  counterbalancing  cheers  from  the 
negroes.  At  length  the  Bellows  place  was  reached.  The 
amount  of  taxes  for  the  several  years  for  which  it  was 
delinquent  was  stated,  and  the  sheriff,  a  creature  of  Leech's, 
offered  the  place.  There  was  a  dead  silence  throughout 
the  crowd,  for  it  was  known  that  it  was  between  Still  and 
Stamper.  Still  was  the  only  bidder.  The  crowd  looked 
at  Stamper,  but  he  never  stirred.  He  looked  the  most  in- 
different man  on  the  ground.  Still,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  crowd,  whispered  with  Ash  and  made  a  sign  to  the 
sheriff,  and  the  latter,  having  made  his  preliminary  notice, 
announced  : 

"  And  there  being  no  other  bid  than  that  of  the  Com- 
missioner, I  knock  this  place  also  down  to " 

There  was  a  movement,  and  a  voice  interrupted  him. 

"  No,  you  don't.  That  place  has  been  redeemed."  Andy 
spoke  quietly,  but  with  a  sudden  blaze  in  his  eyes.  He 
held  up  the  certificate  of  payment,  gripped  in  his  hand, 
and  looked  across  at  Hiram  Still. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  and  then  cheer  after  cheer 
broke  out  from  the  crowd  of  whites ;  and  the  long,  pent- 
up  feeling  against  Still  burst  forth  so  vehemently  that  he 
turned  and  pushed  deep  into  the  middle  of  the  throng  of 
blacks  about  him,  and  soon  left  the  ground. 


220  RED    ROCK 

The  excitement  and  anxiety,  however,  proved  too  much 
for  old  Mrs.  Bellows,  and  she  died  suddenly  a  few  nights 
later. 

"  One  more  notch  on  the  score  against  Hiram  and 
Major  Leech,"  said  Andy  Stamper,  grimly,  as  he  turned 
the  key  in  the  door  of  the  empty  house,  and,  taking  it  out, 
put  it  in  his  pocket. 

Andy's  wife,  as  the  old  woman's  heir,  was  the  owner  of 
the  place  ;  but  a  few  days  after  Mrs.  Bellows's  death  Andy 
rode  up  to  Dr.  Gary's  door. 

Delia  had  sent  him  over,  he  said  (he  always  laid  the 
credit  of  such  things  on  Delia,  he  was  simply  clay  in  the 
potter's  hands). — Delia  had  sent  him  to  say  that  the  place 
belonged  to  Miss  Blair.  "  She  had  found  out  where  the 
money  came  from  which  bought  it  back,  and  she  wan't  goin' 
to  take  it.  She  couldn't  take  care  of  the  place  anyhow — 
'twas  all  she  could  do  to  keep  the  place  they  had  now  ;  and 
she  would  not  have  this  one  if  she  was  to  pay  taxes  on  it. 
All  she  wanted,  was  to  beat  Hiram.  So  if  Miss  Blair 
wouldn't  take  it,  she  s'posed  Nicholas  Ash  would  git  it 
next  year,  after  all." 

Andy  pulled  out  a  deed,  made  in  due  form  to  Miss  Blair 
Gary,  and  delivered  it  to  the  Doctor,  meeting  every  objec- 
tion which  the  Doctor  raised,  with  a  reason  so  cogent  that 
it  really  looked  as  if  he  were  simply  trying  to  shield  Delia 
Dove  from  some  overwhelming  calamity.  So  the  Doctor 
finally  agreed  to  hold  the  place  for  his  daughter,  though 
only  as  security  for  the  sum  advanced,  and  with  the  stipu- 
lation that  Andy  should  at  any  time  have  the  privilege  of 
redeeming  it.  It  was  well  for  Dr.  Gary  that  he  had  placed 
his  money  as  he  did. 

A  few  days  after  this  sale  at  the  county  seat,  Dr.  Gary 
received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ledger,  telling  him  that  the 
condition  of  affairs  had  become  so  gloomy  that  his  corre- 
spondents in  the  North  were  notifying  him  that  they  could 
not  continue  their  advances  to  him  at  present,  and  as  the 
notes  given  him  by  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie,  which 


H1EAM  STILL  COLLECTS  HIS  DEBTS  221 

had  already  been  renewed  several  times,  were  about  to  fall 
due  again,  he  found  himself  under  the  disagreeable  neces- 
sity of  asking  that  they  would  arrange  to  pay  them  at  their 
next  maturity.  General  Legaie,  who  had  received  a  simi- 
lar letter,  rode  up  to  see  Dr.  Gary  next  morning,  and  the 
following  day  they  went  to  the  city  together.  They  rode  on 
horseback,  as  they  had  no  money  to  pay  even  the  small 
sum  necessary  for  the  railway  fares. 

When  the  Doctor  and  General  Legaie  called  on  Mr. 
Ledger  he  was  at  the  moment  talking  to  a  youngish,  vigor- 
ous-looking man,  whose  new  clothes  and  alert  speech  gave 
him  almost  a  foreign  air  beside  the  stately  manner  of  the 
two  old  gentlemen.  Mr.  Clongh,  the  stranger,  rose  to  go, 
but  both  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie  begged  him  to  re- 
main, declaring  that  they  had  "  no  secrets  to  discuss,"  and 
that  they  should  themselves  leave  if  he  did  so,  as  he  had 
been  there  first. 

They  had  exhausted  every  resource  in  their  power  to 
raise  the  means  to  pay  Mr.  Ledger,  they  said.  And  now 
they  had  come  to  him  with  a  proposition.  They  looked  at 
each  other  for  support.  It  manifestly  cost  an  effort  to 
make  it.  They  proposed  that  he  should  take,  at  a  proper 
valuation,  so  much  of  their  lands  as  would  meet  his  debt. 
A  sigh  followed  the  proposal.  It  was  evidently  a  relief  to 
have  got  it  out. 

"It  is  good  land,  and  not  an  acre  has  ever  been  sold 
from  the  original  grant,"  said  Dr.  Gary.  It  manifestly 
added  to  the  value  of  the  terms  offered. 

"  My  dear  sirs,  what  would  I  do  with  your  lands  ?"  said 
Mr.  Ledger.  "  I  already  have  the  security  of  the  lands  in 
addition  to  your  personal  obligation.  My  advice  to  you  is 
to  try  and  sell  them — or,  at  least,  so  much  of  them  as  will 
enable  you  to  discharge  your  debts.  There  are  one  or  two 
men  up  in  your  section  who  have  plenty  of  money. — This 
man  Leech — and  that  man  Still — they  are  land-buyers. 
Why  don't  you  sell  to  them  ?  " 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  both  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie, 


222  RED  EOCK 

in  one  breath.  "  Sell  our  old  family  places  to  that  man 
Leech  ?  " 

"My  dear  sirs,  it  will  come  to  this,  I  fear — or  worse. 
My  correspondents  are  all  calling  in  their  loans.  I  know 
that  Mr.  Still  would  not  be  averse  to  buying  a  part  of  your 
place  or,  indeed,  all  of  it,  Doctor ;  and  I  think  Leech 
would  like  to  have  yours,  General." 

The  two  old  gentlemen  stiffened. 

"  Why,  that  man  Leech  is  a  thief  ! "  said  the  little  Gen- 
eral, with  the  air  of  one  making  a  revelation.  "  He  could 
not  pay  me  a  dollar  that  had  not  been  stolen,  and  that  fel- 
low Still,  he's  a  harpy,  sir." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  I  tell  you  frankly,  gentlemen,  it  ir> 
your  only  chance.  They  mean  to  tax  your  land  until  you 
will  find  it  impossible  to  hold  on  to  it." 

"In  that  case  we  should  not  wish  to  put  it  off  even  on 
those  men,"  said  the  Doctor  with  dignity,  rising.  "  I 
shall  see  if  I  cannot  raise  the  money  elsewhere  to  relieve 
you.  Meantime  I  shall  hold  on  to  the  old  place  as  long  as 
I  can.  I  must  make  one  more  effort."  And  the  two  old 
gentlemen  bowed  themselves  out! 

"A  very  striking-looking  pair,"  said  the  stranger,  "but 
they  don't  seem  to  have  much  business  in  them." 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Ledger,  "  they  haven't.  They  are  about 
as  able  to  cope  with  the  present  as  two  babies."  He  sat 
in  deep  abstraction  for  a  minute  and  then  broke  out  sud- 
denly :  "  But  Fll  tell  you  what  :  if  you  up  yonder  would 
just  hold  off  they  could  clean  up  that  pen  on  the  hill 
in  fifteen  minutes.  And  I  believe  it  would  be  the  best 
thing  for  you  to  have  them  do  it."  His  eyes  blazed  with 
a  light  that  gave  his  visitor  a  new  idea  of  him. 

In  consequence  of  this  talk,  Mr.  Clough,  when  he  had 
concluded  his  business,  went  for  amusement  to  observe  the 
proceedings  of  the  State  Legislature  which  was  in  session. 
It  was  undoubtedly  strange  to  see  laws  being  enacted  by  a 
body  composed  of  blacks  who  but  a  few  years  before  had 
been  slaves,  and  he  went  away  with  a  curious  sense  of  the 


HIRAM  STILL  COLLECTS  HIS  DEBTS  223 

incongruity  of  the  tiling.  But  it  was  only  amusing  to  him. 
They  appeared  good-natured  and  rather  like  big  children 
playing  at  something  which  grown  people  do.  His  only 
trouble  was  the  two  old  gentlemen. 

"  Of  course  it  is  all  nonsense,  those  slaves  being  legisla- 
tors," he  admitted  to  Major  Welch,  on  his  arrival  at  home, 
and  to  his  father-in-law,  Senator  Rockfield.  "  But  they 
are  led  by  white  men  who  know  their  business.  The  fact' 
is,  they  appear  to  know  it  so  well  that  I  advise  calling  in 
all  the  debts  at  once." 

What  simply  amused  this  casual  visitor,  however,  was  a 
stab  in  the  heart  of  the  two  old  gentlemen  he  had  met. 

Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie  returned  home  without  be- 
ing able  to  raise  anywhere  the  money  that  was  due. 

In  reply  to  the  letter  announcing  this,  Dr.  Gary  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Mr.  Ledger,  informing  him  that  he  had 
just  had  an  offer  from  someone  to  take  up  the  Doctor's 
notes,  and  he  had  felt  it  his  duty  to  notify  him  before  he 
assigned  them.  The  person  who  had  made  the  offer  had 
insisted  that  his  name  should  not  be  known  at  present, 
but  he  had  intimated  that  it  was  with  friendly  intentions 
toward  Dr.  Gary,  though  Mr.  Ledger  stated,  he  would  not 
like  the  Doctor  to  rely  too  much  on  this  intimation.  He 
would  much  prefer  that  Dr.  Gary  should  take  up  the  notes 
himself,  and  he  would  not  for  a  moment  urge  him  if  it 
were  not  that  he  himself  was  absolutely  obliged  to  have 
the  money  to  meet  his  obligations. 

To  this  letter  the  Doctor  replied  promptly.  Mr.  Ledger 
must  accept  the  offer  from  his  unnamed  correspondent  if  it 
were  a  mere  business  transaction,  and  the  Doctor  only  asked 
that  he  would  do  so  without  in  any  way  laying  him  under 
any  obligation  to  the  person  referred  to,  for  a  pretended 
kindness. 

"  The  old  Doctor  evidently  knows  his  man,"  was  Mr. 
Ledger's  reflection. 

The  next  day  Hiram  Still  held  Dr.  Gary's  notes  se- 
cured by  deed  of  trust  on  the  whole  Birdwood  estate. 


224  BED  EOCK 

Still  was  sitting  in  the  big  hall  at  Red  Rock  on  his  return 
home,  and  he  took  out  the  notes  and  laid  them  on  the 
table  before  his  son. 

"  Ah  !  Dr.  Wash,"  he  said,  with  a  gleam  in  his  eyes ; 
"  things  is  comin'  roun'.  Now  you've  got  it  all  your  own 
way.  With  them  cards  in  your  hand  if  you  can't  win  the 
game,  you  ain't  as  good  a  player  as  yer  pappy.  I  don't 
want  nothin'  for  myself,  I  just  want  'em  to  know  who  I 
am — that's  all.  And  with  you  over  yonder  at  the  old  Doc- 
tor's, and  Virgy  in  Congress  or  maybe  even  in  the  Gover- 
nor's house  down  yonder,  I  reckon  they'll  begin  to  find 
out  who  Hiram  Still  is." 

The  son  was  evidently  pleased  at  the  prospect  spread 
out  before  him,  and  his  countenance  relaxed. 

"  'Twon't  do  to  let  Leech  get  too  far  ahead — I'm  always 
telling  you  so."  Young  Still  was  beginning  to  show  some 
jealousy  of  Leech  of  late. 

"Ahead?  He  ain't  ahead.  He  just  thinks  he  is." 
The  speaker's  voice  changed.  <(  What's  the  matter  with 
Virgy  these  days  ?  I've  done  set  her  up  in  the  biggest 
house  in  the  county,  and  brought  the  man  who's  goin'  to 
be  one  of  the  biggest  men  in  the  State  to  want  her  to 
marry  him,  and  she  won't  have  iiothin'  to  do  with  him. 
It  clean  beats  my  time.  I  don't  know  what's  got  into  her. 
She  ain't  never  been  the  same  since  I  brought  her  here. 
Looks  like  these  pictures  round  here  sort  o'  freezes  her 
up." 

As  he  glanced  around  Hiram  Still  looked  as  if  he  were 
freezing  up  a  little  himself. 

"  She's  a  fool,"  said  the  brother,  amiably. 

"  I  thought  maybe  she's  been  kind  o'ailin'an'  I'd  git  the 
old  Doctor  to  come  and  see  her.  Say  what  you  please,  he 
have  a  kind  o'  way  with  him  women  folks  seems  to  like. 
But  she  won't  hear  of  it." 

"  She's  just  a  fool.     Let  her  alone  for  awhile,  anyhow." 

His  father  looked  at  him  keenly. 

"  Well,  you  go  ahead — and  as  soon  as  you've  got  your 


HIRAM   STILL   COLLECTS   HIS   DEBTS  225 

filly  safe,  we'll  take  up  t'other  horse — time  cnongh.  Thars 
the  bridle/'  He  touched  the  notes  on  the  table  and 
winked  at  his  son. 

Dr.  Still,  armed  with  the  assurance  which  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Gary's  notes  gave,  drove  over  to  Birdwood  the  very 
next  evening  in  a  double  buggy.  He  was  met  by  Dr.  Gary, 
who  treated  him  with  his  usual  graciousness,  and  who  so 
promptly  assumed  that  the  visit  was  merely  a  professional 
one  that  the  caller  never  found  the  opportunity  to  unde- 
ceive him. 

When  Washington  Still  arrived  at  home  that  night  his 
father  was  watching  for  him  with  eagerness.  He  met  him 
as  the  buggy  drove  up  into  the  yard ;  but  Wash's  face  was 
sphinx-like.  It  was  not  until  nearly  bedtime,  when  the 
father  had  reinforced  his  courage  with  several  drinks  of 
whiskey,  that  he  got  courage  to  open  the  subject  directly. 

"Well,  what  news  ?"  he  asked,  with  an  attempt  at  jo- 
viality. 

"  None,"  said  Wash,  shortly. 

"  How'd  you  come  out  ?  " 

"  Same  way  I  went  in."  This  was  not  encouraging, 
but  another  glass  added  to  Mr.  Still's  spirit. 

"  How  was  she  lookin'  ?  " 

ft  Didn't  see  her. — Didn't  see  anybody  but  the  old  Doc- 
tor ;  never  do  see  anybody  but  him — and  the  old  nigger  that 
opens  the  door.  He  thought  I'd  come  over  to  consult  him 
about  that  sick  nigger  down  at  the  mill,  so  I  let  him  think 
so.  I  wish  the  d — d  nigger  would  die  ! " 

"  And  you  didn't  even  ask  for  her  ?  " 

The  young  man  shifted  in  his  chair. 

"  What's  the  use  !  That  old  fool's  got  a  way  with  him. 
You  know  how  it  is.  If  he  wa'n't  so  d — d  polite  I " 

"  Ah  I  Washy,  you're  skeered,"  said  the  father, 
fondly.  "  You  can't  bridle  a  filly  if  you're  afeard  to  go 
in,  boy.  If  you  don't  git  up  the  grit  I'll  go  over  thar 
myself,  first  thing  you  know.  Why  don't  you  write  her  a 
letter?" 

15 


226  BED   EOCK 

"  What's  the  good  !  I  know'm.  She  wouldn't  look  at 
me.  She's  for  Lord  Jacquelin  or  Captain  Steve  Allen." 

"  She  wouldn't  ! "  Still  rose  from  his  chair  in  the  in- 
tensity of  his  feeling.  "  By she  shall  !  I'll  make 

her." 

"  Make  her  !    Yon  think  she's  Virgy?    She  ain't." 

A  day  or  two  later  a  letter  from  Dr.  Still  was  brought  to 
Birdwood  by  a  messenger.  Dr.  Gary  received  it.  It  was 
on  tinted  paper  and  was  for  Blair.  That  afternoon  another 
messenger  bore  back  the  same  letter  unopened,  together 
with  one  from  Dr.  Gary,  to  the  effect  that  his  daughter 
was  not  accustomed  to  receive  letters  from  young  men,  and 
that  such  a  correspondence  would  not  be  agreeable  to  him. 

Dr.  Still  was  waiting  with  impatience  for  a  reply  to 
his  missive.  He  was  not  especially  sanguine.  Even  his 
father's  hope  could  not  reassure  him.  When  he  looked 
at  the  letter  his  countenance  fell.  He  had  not  expected 
this.  It  was  a  complete  overthrow.  It  not  only  was  a 
total  destruction  of  his  hopes  respecting  Miss  Gary,  but  it 
appeared  to  expose  a  great  gulf  fixed  between  him  and  all  his 
social  hopes.  He  had  not  known  till  then  how  much  he 
had  built  on  them.  In  an  instant  his  feeling  changed. 
He  was  enraged  with  Blair,  enraged  with  Dr.  Gary,  enraged 
with  Jacquelin  Gray  and  Captain  Allen,  and  enraged  with 
his  father  who  had  counselled  him  to  take  the  step.  He 
took  the  letter  to  his  father,  and  threw  it  on  the  table  be- 
fore him. 

"Keadthat.", 

Hiram  Still  took  up  the  letter  and,  putting  on  his  glasses, 
read  it  laboriously.  His  face  turned  as  red  as  his  son's 
had  turned  white.  He  slammed  the  letter  on  the  table 
and  hammered  his  clenched  fist  down  on  it. 

"  You  ain't  good  enough  for  'em  !  Well,  I'll  show  'em. 
I'll  turn  'em  out  in  the  road  and  make  their  place  a 
nigger  settlement.  I'll  show  'em  who  they're  turnin' 
their  noses  up  at.  I'll  show  'em  who  Hiram  Still  is.  I'll 
make  Leech  Governor,  and  turn  him  loose  on  'em,  if  it 


HIRAM  STILL  COLLECTS  HIS  DEBTS  227 

takes  every  cent  Fve  got  in  the  world."  He  filled  his 
glass.  "  We'll  show  'em  yet  who  we  are.  When  I'm  settin* 
up  here  and  you're  settin'  up  thar  they'll  begin  to  think 
maybe  after  all  they've  made  a  little  mistake." 

Still  was  as  good  as  his  word.  Within  a  day  or  two,  Dr. 
Gary  received  a  letter  from  him  asking  the  payment  of  his 
obligations  which  he  held.  He  assigned  the  necessity  he 
was  under  to  raise  a  large  sum  of  money  himself. 

The  Doctor  wrote  in  reply  that  it  was  quite  impossible 
for  him  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  the  debts,  and  begged 
that  Still  would  without  delay  take  the  necessary  staps  to 
close  the  matter  up,  assuring  him  that  he  should  not  only 
not  throw  any  obstacle  in  his  way,  but  would  further  his 
object  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power. 

Steve  urged  the  Doctor  to  make  a  fight,  declaring  that 
he  could  defer  the  sale  for  at  least  two  years,  maybe  more, 
and  times  might  change  ;  but  Dr.  Gary  declined. 

"  What  can  I  do  ?  I  owe  a  debt  and  I  cannot  pay  it.  I 
might  as  well  save  the  man  the  mortification  of  telling  a 
multitude  of  unnecessary  lies." 

So  in  a  little  while  Still,  through  Leech,  his  counsel, 
had  subjected  the  Doctor's  property  to  his  debts  and  was  in 
possession  of  Birdwood  as  well  as  Eed  Eock. 

Mrs.  Gary  and  Blair  left  their  roses  and  jonquils  and  with 
the  Doctor  moved  to  the  old  Bellows  place,  where  they 
were  as  happy  as  they  had  ever  been  in  the  days  of  their 
greatest  prosperity.  OldTarquin,  who  accompanied  them, 
observed  his  master  closely  and  followed  his  example,  car- 
rying his  head  as  high  as  if  he  still  walked  the  big  halls 
and  polished  floors  of  Birdwood.  Mammy  Krenda  alone 
was  unhappy.  She  could  not  reconcile  herself  to  the 
change.  The  idea  of  "  dat  nigger- trader  an'  overseer 
ownin'  her  old  marster's  place,  an*  o'  her  young  mistis 
havin'  to  live  in  de  blacksmiff'  house,"  was  more  than  the 
old  woman  could  bear. 


CHAPTER  XX 

LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHER  AND  GETS  A  FALL 

MAJOR  LEECH  was  now  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the 
State.  No  one  had  been  so  successful  in  his  measures. 
He  boasted  openly  that  he  owned  his  own  county.  •  Carried 
it  in  his  breeches  pocket,  he  said. 

Hiram  Still  had  become  the  largest  property-holder  in 
the  county.  "  I  don't  know  so  much  about  these  here  pa- 
per stocks/'  he  said  to  his  son.  "  But  I  know  good  land, 
and  when  you've  got  land  you've  got  it,  and  everybody 
knows  you've  got  it. " 

It  was  understood  now  that  Leech  was  courting  Still's 
daughter,  and  it  began  to  be  rumored  that  reinforced  by 
this  alliance,  after  the  next  election  he  would  probably  be 
the  leader  in  the  State.  He  was  spoken  of  as  a  possible 
candidate  for  the  Governorship,  the  election  for  which  was 
to  come  off  the  following  year. 

The  people  were  now  as  flat  on  their  backs  as  even  Leech 
could  wish. 

Fortunately  there  is  a  law  by  which  conditions  through 
their  very  excess  are  sometimes  rectified.  Absolute  success 
often  bears  in  it  the  seeds  of  its  own  destruction.  With  the 
power  to  make  such  laws  as  they  wanted,  and  to  gild  all 
their  acts  with  the  tinsel  of  apparent  authority,  Leech  and 
his  associates  had  been  so  successful  that  they  had  lost  all 
reckoning  of  opposition,  and  in  their  security  had  begun  to 
quarrel  among  themselves. 

The  present  Governor,  Kraf ton,  was  a  candidate  for  re- 
election, and  his  city  organ  declared  that  Leech  was 
pledged  to  him.  He  had  "  made  Leech,"  it  said.  "  Leech 

228 


LEECH   LOOKS   HIGHER  AND   GETS   A   FALL      229 

was  bound  to  him  by  every  tie  of  gratitude  and  honor/' 
Leech  in  private  sneered  at  the  idea.  "Does  he  think  I'm 
bound  to  him  for  life  ?  Ain't  he  rich  enough  ?  Does  he 
want  to  keep  all  the  pie  for  himself  ?  Why  don't  he  pay 
that  rent  to  the  State  for  the  railroad  him  and  his  crowd 
leased  ?  He  talk  about  beatin'  me  !  Til  show  him.  You 
wait  until  after  next  session  and  all  h — 1  can't  beat  me/' 
he  said  to  Hiram  Still.  He  did  not  say  this  to  the  Gov- 
ernor. But  perhaps  even  counting  this  Leech  did  not 
count  all  the  forces  against  him.  Emboldened  by  the 
quietude  which  had  existed  so  long,  Leech  moved  more 
openly.  He  believed  he  was  strong  enough  now  for  any- 
thing. Success  was  at  length  turning  even  Still's  head. 

"  You  got  to  keep  yourself  before  the  people,  and  do  it 
all  the  time.  If  you  don't  they'll  forgit  you,  and  some- 
body else  will  reap  your  harvest,"  Still  explained  to  his 
ally. 

"Anybody  as  reaps  for  me  is  welcome  to  all  he  gets," 
said  Leech. 

The  campaign  opened,  and  soon  Leech  was  as  prom- 
inent as  he  could  have  wished.  However  prostrate  the 
people  were,  'they  were  not  ready  to  have  Leech  for  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  and  they  so  declared.  At  a  public 
meeting  that  was  held,  Steve  Allen  in  a  speech  declared 
that  "Krafton  is  a  robber  ;  but  Leech  is  a  thief." 

Both  Leech  and  Still  were  sensible  of  the  stir  ;  but  they 
did  not  heed  it.  Leech  was  daily  strengthening  himself. 

When  the  rumor  started  that  the  whites  were  rousing 
up  and  were  beginning  to  think  of  organizing  in  opposi- 
tion, Leech  only  laughed. 

"Kick,  will  they?"  said  he.  "I  want  'em  to  kick. 
I'm  fixed  for  'em  now.  I've  got  the  power  I  want  behind 
me  now,  and  the  more  they  kick  the  more  they'll  git  the 
rowels.  I  guess  you're  beginning  to  find  out  I'm  pretty 
well  seated  ?  "  he  added  triumphantly  to  Still.  Still  could 
not  but  admit  that  it  was  so. 

"Fact  is,  things're  goin'  almost  too  smooth,"  he  said. 


230  RED    ROCK 

t(  You're  hard  to  please/'  growled  Leech. 

"No;  but  you  know,  sometimes  I'm  most  afeered  I'll 
wake  up  and  find  it  a  dream.  Here  I  am  settin'  up,  a  gen- 
tleman here  in  this  big  house  that  I  used  to  stand  over 
yonder  on  the  hill  in  the  blazin'  sun  and  just  look  at,  and 
wonder  if  I  ever  would  have  one  even  as  good  as  the  one 
I  was  then  in  as  my  own  ;  and  yonder  are  you,  one  of  the 
big  men  in  the  State,  and  maybe  will  be  Governor  some 
day,  who  knows  ?  "  Leech  accepted  the  compliment  with 
becoming  condescension. 

"  That  was  a  great  stroke  of  yours  to  git  the  State  to 
endorse  the  bonds  and  then  git  your  man  Bolter  down  here 
to  put  up  that  money.  If  this  thing  keeps  up  we  soon 
won't  have  to  ask  nobody  any  odds,"  pursued  Still. 

"  I  don't  ask  any  of  'em  any  odds  now.  When  I  get  my 
militia  fully  organized,  I'm  going  to  make  a  move  that  will 
make  things  crack.  And  old  Kraf  ton  will  come  down  too. 
He  thinks  he's  driving,  and  he's  just  holding  the  end  of 
the  reins." 

"  I  don't  count  so  much  on  your  militia  as  I  do  on  your 
friends.  I  know  these  people,  and  I  tell  you,  you  can't 
keep  'em  down  with  niggers.  If  you  try  that  you'll  have  a 
bust  up  't  will  blow  you — somewhere  you  won't  want  to 
be,"  cautioned  Still.  "  I  never  was  so  much  in  favor  of 
that  militia  business  as  you  was.  Comes  to  a  fight,  the 
whites  will  beat  every  time — and  it  costs  too  much.  My 
taxes  this  year'll  be " 

Leech  frowned. 

fc  Your  taxes  !  If  it  hadn't  been  for  high  taxes  I'd  like 
to  know  where  you'd  been.  You're  always  talkin'  about 
knowin'  these  people.  You're  afraid  of  'em.  I'm  not.  I 
suppose  it's  natural ;  we've  whipped  you." 

There  was  a  sudden  lower  in  Still's  eye  at  the  sneer. 

"You're  always  talkin'  about  havin'  whipped  us.  You 
ain't  whipped  us  so  much,"  he  growled.  "  If  you  ain't 
afraid  of  'em,  whyn't  you  take  up  what  Steve  Allen  said  to 
you  t'other  day  when  he  told  you  he'd  be  Governor  before 


LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHER  AND  GETS  A  FALL  231 

you  was,  and  called  you — ur  worse  than  Krafton  ?  He's 
given  you  chances  enough/'' 

"  You  wait,  and  you'll  see  how  I'll  take  it  up.  Til  take 
him  up.  I've  got  the  government  behind  me,  and  when 
I'm  Governor  and  get  a  judge  such  as  I  want,  you'll  see 
things  working  even  enough." 

"  Well,  'twon't  do  for  us  to  quarrel,  Major.  We're  like 
two  steers  yoked  together,"  Still  said,  conciliatorily.  "  Only 
don't  go  too  fast  at  first — or  you  may  break  your  team  down 
before  you  git  anywhere  near  where  you  want  to  go." 

When  Still  was  alone  with  his  son  after  this  interview 
he  told  him  that  Leech  was  in  danger  of  ruining  every- 
thing. 

"  He's  gittin'  sp'iled.  We  must  keep  the  brakes  on  him 
or  he'll  bust  the  wagon  all  to  pieces.  If  he  gits  up  too  fast 
he  won't  remember  me  and  you,"  observed  Mr.  Still. 
"  Where  would  I  be  now  if  I  hadn't  gone  a  little  keerful?" 

"  Careful,"  corrected  his  son,  superciliously. 

"  Well,  careful,  then ;  I  can't  keep  up  with  your  book 
learnin'.  But  I  know  a  few  things,  and  he's  about  to  make 
a  fool  of  himself.  He  wants  to  break  with  old  Krafton  be- 
fore it's  time,  and  I  ain't  sure  he's  strong  enough  yet  to  do 
it.  We  may  have  to  call  on  Krafton  yet,  and  'twon't  do  to 
let  him  go  till  we  get  Leech  settled.  He's  goin'  too  fast 
with  his  niggers.  We've  got  to  keep  the  brakes  on 
him." 

Leech  soon  perfected  the  organization  of  his  negroes. 
The  League  furnished  the  nucleus.  He  had  quite  an  army 
enrolled.  At  first  they  drilled  without  arms,  or  with  only 
the  old  muskets  which  had  come  down  from  the  war  ;  but 
in  a  little  time  a  consignment  of  new  rifles  came  from 
somewhere,  and  at  their  next  drill  the  bands  appeared 
armed  and  equipped  with  new  army  muskets  and  ammu- 
nition. Nicholas  Ash  was  captain  of  one  company,  and 
another  was  under  command  of  Sherwood.  Leech  was 
Colonel  and  commanding  officer  in  the  county.  Under 
the  law,  Krafton,  as  Governor,  had  the  power  to  accept  or 


232  BED   KOCK 

refuse  any  company  that  organized  and  offered  itself.  The 
effect  of  the  new  organization  on  the  negroes  was  immedi- 
ately felt.  They  became  insolent  and  swaggering.  The 
fields  were  absolutely  abandoned.  Should  they  handle  hoes 
when  they  could  carry  guns  !  Should  they  plough  when 
they  were  the  State  guard  ! 

When  Leech's  new  companies  drilled,  the  roadsides  were 
lined  with  their  admirers.  They  filled  the  streets  and  took 
possession  of  the  sidewalks,  yelling,  and  hustling  out  of 
their  way  any  who  might  be  on  them.  Ladies  walking  on 
the  street  were  met  and  shoved  off  into  the  mud.  In  a 
little  while,  whenever  the  militia  were  out,  the  whites  dis- 
appeared almost  wholly  from  the  streets.  But  the  men 
were  to  be  found  gathered  together  at  some  central  place, 
quiet,  and  apparently  without  any  object,  but  grim  and 
earnest.  Steve  Allen  was  likely  to  be  among  them. 

Steve  organized  a  company  and  offered  its  services  to  the 
Governor,  asking  to  be  commissioned  and  armed.  Only 
negro  companies  were  being  commissioned.  The  Governor 
referred  him  to  Leech,  who  was,  he  said,  the  Commandant 
in  that  section.  The  next  time  Steve  met  Leech  he  said  : 

"  Major  Leech,  your  man  Krafton  says  if  you'll  recom- 
mend it  he'll  commission  a  company  I  have."  Leech 
hemmed  and  stammered  a  little. 

"  No  need  to  be  in  a  hurry  about  it,  Major,"  said  Steve, 
enjoying  his  embarrassment.  "  When  you  want  'em  let  me 
know.  I'll  have  'em  ready,"  and  he  passed  on  with  cheery 
insolence,  leaving  the  carpet-bagger  with  an  ugly  look  in 
his  pale  blue  eyes. 

Leech  conferred  with  Still,  who  counselled  that  they 
should  move  with  deliberation.  Leech  had  grown  impa- 
tient. He  thought  himself  strong  enough  now  to  overawe 
the  whites.  Night  meetings  were  being  held  everywhere, 
at  which  Leech  addressed  his  followers.  Their  response 
was  almost  an  outbreak. 

A  number  of  acts  were  committed  that  incensed  the  peo- 
ple greatly.  Andy  Stamper,  with  his  wagon  full  of  chickens 


LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHER  AND  GETS  A  FALL  233 

and  eggs,  was  coming  along  the  road  when  he  met  one  of 
the  companies,  followed  by  the  crowd  of  negroes  that  usu- 
ally attended  the  drills.  In  a  few  minutes  the  wagon  was 
thrown  down  a  bank  and  upset,  the  eggs  were  all  smashed, 
and  little  Andy,  fighting  desperately  with  his  whip,  was 
knocked  senseless  and  left  on  the  roadside,  unconscious. 
He  said  afterward  it  served  him  right  for  being  such  a  fool 
as  to  go  without  his  pistol,  and  that  if  he  had  had  it  he 
would  have  whipped  the  whole  company.  Mrs.  Gary  and 
Blair  and  Miss  Thomasia  came  near  having  a  similar  experi- 
ence. They  were  stopped  on  the  road  in  their  old  carriage, 
and  nothing  but  Mrs.  Gary's  spirit  and  old  Gideon's  pres- 
ence of  mind  saved  them  perhaps  from  worse  usage.  Mrs. 
Gary,  however,  stepped  out  and  stood  beside  her  horses 
commanding  that  they  should  not  be  touched,  while  the 
old  driver,  standing  up  in  the  boot  of  the  carriage,  talked 
so  defiantly  and  looked  so  belligerent  that  he  preserved  his 
mistresses  from  anything  worse  than  being  turned  out 
rudely  into  the  woods  and  very  much  frightened. 

These  things  caused  much  excitement. 

The  first  movement  in  the  campaign  was  a  great  meet- 
ing that  was  held  at  the  county  seat.  The  negroes  were 
summoned  from  several  counties  round,  and  there  was  to 
be  a  great  muster  of  Leech's  "new  militia."  It  was  a 
grave  time  in  the  county.  All  such  assemblages  were  seri- 
ous now,  more  for  what  might  happen  than  for  anything 
that  had  ever  happened  yet.  But  this  one  was  especially 
serious.  It  was  rumored  that  Leech  would  launch  himself 
as  a  candidate  for  Governor,  and  would  outline  his  policy. 
The  presence  of  his  militia  was  held  to  be  a  part  of  his 
plan  to  overawe  any  opposition  that  might  arise.  So 
strong  was  the  tension  that  many  of  the  women  and  chil- 
dren were  sent  out  of  the  village,  and  those  that  remained 
kept  their  houses. 

When  the  day  for  the  meeting  at  the  county  seat  came, 
nearly  the  entire  male  population  of  the  county,  white  and 
colored,  were  present,  and  the  negro  companies  were  out  in 


234  RED   ROCK 

force,  marching  and  parading  up  and  down  in  the  same 
field  in  which  the  white  troops  had  paraded  just  be- 
fore going  off  to  the  war.  Many  remarked  on  it  that  day. 
It  served  to  emphasize  the  change  that  a  few  years  had 
brought.  When  the  parade  was  over,  the  companies  took 
possession  of  the  court  green,  and  were  allowed  to  break 
ranks  preparatory  to  being  called  under  arms  again,  when 
they  were  to  be  addressed  on  the  issues  of  the  campaign. 
The  negroes,  with  a  few  white  men  among  them — so  few 
as  not  to  make  the  slightest  impression  in  the  great  dusky 
throng — were  assembled  on  the  court  green.  The  whites 
were  outside. 

There  was  gravity,  but  good-humor. 

Steve  Allen,  particularly,  appeared  to  be  in  high  spirits. 
To  see  the  way  the  crowd  was  divided  it  might  have  looked 
as  if  they  were  hostile  troops.  Only,  the  whites  apparently 
had  no  arms.  But  they  had  almost  the  formation  of  sol- 
diery waiting  at  rest.  Steve  sauntered  up  into  the  crowd 
of  negroes  and  made  his  way  to  where  Leech  stood  well  sur- 
rounded, talking  to  some  of  the  leaders. 

"  Well,  Colonel,  how  goes  it  ?  You  seem  to  have  a 
good  many  troops  to-day.  We  heard  you  were  going  to 
have  a  muster,  and  we  came  down  to  see  the  drill." 

The  speech  was  received  good-temperedly  by  the  ne- 
groes, many  of  whom  Steve  spoke  to  by  name  good-hu- 
moredly. 

Leech  did  not  appreciate  the  jest,  and  moved  off  with  a 
scowl.  The  young  man,  however,  was  not  to  be  shaken  off 
so.  He  followed  the  other  to  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  and 
there  his  manner  changed. 

"  Mr.  Leech,"  he  said,  slowly,  with  sudden  seriousness 
and  with  that  deep  intonation  which  always  called  up  to 
Leech  that  night  in  the  woods  when  he  had  been  waylaid 
and  kidnapped.  "Mr.  Leech,  you  are  on  trial  to-day. 
Don't  make  a  false  step.  You  are  the  controlling  spirit  of 
these  negroes.  They  await  but  your  word.  So  do  we.  If 
a  hand  is  lifted  you  will  never  be  Governor.  We  have  stood 


LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHER  AND  GETS  A  FALL 

all  we  propose  to  stand.  You  are  standing  on  a  powder 
magazine.  I  give  you  warning." 

He  turned  off  and  walked,  back  to  his  own  crowd. 

It  was  the  boldest  speech  that  had  been  made  to  Leech 
in  a  long  time.  His  whole  battalion  of  guards  were  on  the 
grounds,  and  a  sign  from  him  would  have  lodged  Steve  in 
the  jail,  which  frowned  behind  the  old  brick  clerk's  office. 
He  had  a  mind  to  order  his  arrest ;  but  as  he  glanced  at 
him  there  was  a  gleam  in  Steve's  gray  eyes  which  restrained 
him.  They  were  fixed  on  him  steadily,  and  the  men  be- 
hind him  suddenly  seemed  to  have  taken  on  something  like 
order.  Until  that  moment  Leech  had  no  idea  what  a  force 
it  was.  There  were  men  of  all  classes  in  the  ranks.  He 
seemed  suddenly  the  focus  of  all  eyes.  They  were  fastened 
on  him  with  a  cold  hostility  that  made  him  shiver.  He 
had  a  sudden  catching  at  the  heart.  He  sent  for  Still  and 
had  a  conference  with  him.  Still  advised  a  pacific  course. 
"  Too  many  of  'em,"  he  said.  "  And  they  are  ready  for 
you." 

Leech  adopted  Still's  advice.  In  the  face  of  Steve's 
menace  and  that  crowd  of  grim-looking  men  he  quailed. 
His  name  was  put  forward,  and  many  promises  were  made 
for  him,  revolutionary  enough,  but  it  was  not  by  himself. 
Nicholas  Ash,  after  a  long  conference  with  Leech  and  Still, 
was  the  chief  speaker  of  the  occasion,  and  Leech  kept  him- 
self in  the  background  all  day. 

The  policy  laid  down  by  Nicholas  Ash,  even  after  his 
caution  from  Leech  and  Still,  was  bad  enough.  "  They 
say  the  taxes  are  too  high,"  declared  the  negro  statesman. 
"  I  tell  you,  and  Colonel  Leech  tells  you,  they  ain't  high 
enough,  and  when  he's  Governor  they'll  be  higher  yet.  We 
are  goin'  to  raise  'em — yes,  we  are  goin'  to  raise  'em  till  we 
bankrupt  'em  every  one,  and  then  the  land  will  go  to  the 
ones  as  ought  to  have  it,  and  if  anybody  interferes  with 
you,  you've  got  guns  and  you  know  how  to  use  'em." 
Tumultuous  applause  greeted  this  exposition  of  Leech's 
principles.  Only  the  earnest  counsel  of  Dr.  Gary  and  some 


236  RED   ROCK 

of  the  older  and  cooler  heads  kept  the  younger  men  quiet. 
But  the  day  passed  off  quietly.  The  only  exception  was 
an  altercation  between  Captain  McRaffle  and  a  negro. 
Leech's  name  had  been  suggested  for  the  Governorship, 
and  had  taken  well.  So  he  was  satisfied.  That  night  the 
negroes  paraded  in  companies  through  the  village,  keeping 
step  to  a  sort  of  chant  about  raising  taxes  and  getting  the 
lands  and  driving  out  the  whites. 

As  Dr.  Gary  rode  home  that  evening  on  his  old  horse, 
Still  and  Leech  passed  him  in  a  new  buggy  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  fine  horses  which  young  Dr.  Still  had  just  got. 
Both  men  spoke  to  Dr.  Gary,  but  the  Doctor  had  turned  his 
head  away  so  as  not  to  see  them.  It  was  the  nearest  his 
heart  would  let  him  come  to  cutting  a  man  direct. 

Next  night  after  dark  there  was  a  meeting,  at  which  were 
present  nearly  all  the  men  whose  names  have  appeared  in 
this  chronicle,  except  Dr.  Gary  and  one  or  two  of  the  older 
gentlemen,  and  a  number  more  besides. 

The  place  selected  for  the  meeting  was  the  old  hospital, 
a  rambling,  stone  house  with  wings,  and  extensive  cellars 
under  it.  It  was  in  a  cleft  between  two  hills,  surrounded 
by  a  dense  grove,  which  made  it  at  all  times  somewhat 
gloomy.  It  had  been  used  as  a  field-hospital  in  a  battle 
fought  near  by,  and  on  this  account  had  always  borne 
a  bad  name  among  the  negroes,  who  told  grewsome  tales  of 
the  legs  and  arms  hacked  off  there  and  flung  out  of  the 
windows,  and  of  the  ghostly  scenes  enacted  there  now  after 
nightfall,  and  gave  it  a  wide  berth. 

After  the  war,  a  cyclone  had  blown  down  or  twisted  off 
many  of  the  trees  around  the  mansion,  and  had  taken  the 
roof  off  a  part  of  the  building  and  blown  in  one  of  the 
wings,  killing  several  of  the  persons  who  then  occupied  it, 
which  casualty  the  superstition  of  the  negroes  readily  set 
down  to  avenging  wrath.  The  rest  of  the  house  had  stood 
the  storm  ;  but  since  that  time  the  building  had  never  been 
repaired  and  had  sunk  into  a  state  of  mournful  dilapida- 
tion, and  few  negroes  in  the  county  could  have  been  in- 


LEEOH  LOOKS   HIGHER  AND   GETS   A   FALL      237 

dnced  to  go  there  even  in  daylight.  The  fields  had  sprung 
up  in  dense  pines,  and  the  roads  leading  out  to  the  high- 
ways had  grown  up  and  were  now  hardly  distinguishable. 
It  had  escaped  even  the  rapacious  clutch  of  Land  Commis- 
sioner Still. 

The  night  after  the  speaking  at  the  court-house  there 
was  a  meeting  of  ghostly  riders  at  this  old  place,  which  had 
any  of  the  negroes  around  seen,  they  would  have  had  some 
grounds  for  thinking  the  tales  told  of  the  dead  coming 
back  from  their  graves  true. 

Pickets,  with  men  and  horses  heavily  shrouded,  were 
posted  at  every  outlet  from  the  plantation,  and  the  riders 
rode  for  some  distance  in  the  beds  of  streams,  so  that  when 
the  hoof-tracks  reached  certain  points,  they  seemed  sud- 
denly to  disappear  from  the  earth. 

Rumors  had  already  come  from  other  sections  of  a  new 
force  that  had  arisen,  a  force  composed  of  ghostly  night- 
riders.  It  was  known  as  the  "  Invisible  Empire/'  and  the 
negroes  had  already  been  in  a  tremor  of  subdued  excitement ; 
but  up  to  this  time  this  county  had  been  so  quiet,  and 
Leech  had  been  so  supreme,  that  they  had  not  taken  in 
that  the  Ku  Klux  might  reach  there. 

After  the  muster  of  Leech's  militia  at  the  county  seat  the 
companies  had  been  dismissed  and  the  members  had  strag- 
gled to  their  homes,  taking  with  them  their  arms  and  ac- 
coutrements, with  all  the  pride  and  pomp  of  newly  decor- 
ated children.  But  their  triumph  was  short-lived. 

In  the  dead  of  night,  when  the  cabins  and  settlements 
were  wrapped  in  slumber,  came  a  visitation,  passing 
through  the  county  from  settlement  to  settlement  and 
from  cabin  to  cabin,  in  silence,  but  with  a  thoroughness  that 
showed  the  most  perfect  organization.  When  morning 
dawned  every  gun  and  every  round  of  ammunition  which 
had  been  issued  throughout  the  county,  except  those  at  the 
county  seat,  and  some  few  score  that  had  been  conveyed  to 
other  places  than  the  homes  of  the  men  who  had  them, 
had  been  taken  away. 


238  RED   ROCK 

In  most  cases  the  seizure  was  accomplished  quietly,  the 
surprise  being  so  complete  as  to  prevent  wholly  any  resist- 
ance. All  that  the  dejected  warriors  could  tell  next  day 
was  that  there  had  been  a  noise  outside,  the  door  had 
been  opened ;  the  yard  had  been  found  full  of  awful  forms 
wrapped  like  ghosts  in  winding-sheets,  some  of  whom  had 
entered  the  houses,  picked  up  the  guns  and  ammunition, 
and  without  a  word  walked  out  and  disappeared. 

In  other  instances,  the  seizure  had  not  been  so  easily  ef- 
fected, and  in  some  few  places  there  had  been  force  exerted 
and  violence  used.  But  in  every  case  the  guns  had  been 
taken  either  peaceably  or  by  force,  and  the  man  who  had 
resisted  had  only  called  down  on  his  head  severity.  One 
man  only  had  been  seriously  hurt.  It  was  the  man  with 
whom  McRaffle  had  had  the  difficulty. 

The  whites  had  not  been  wholly  exempt. 

Leech  had  spent  the  night  at  Hiram  Still's.  They  had 
talked  over  the  events  of  the  meeting  and  the  whole  situa- 
tion. Ash's  speech  proposing  Leech  for  Governor  had 
taken  well  with  the  negroes,  and  for  the  whites  they  did  not 
care.  The  whites  had  evidently  been  overawed.  This  was 
Leech's  interpretation  of  their  quietude.  Leecli  was  tri- 
umphant. It  was  the  justification  of  his  plan  in  arming 
his  followers.  He  laid  off  his  future  plans  when  he  should 
have  fuller  powers.  His  only  regret  was  that  he  had  not 
had  Steve  Allen  arrested  for  threatening  him.  But  that 
would  come  before  long. 

"  D — n  him  !     I  wish  he  was  dead,"  he  growled. 

"  Go  slow,  Colonel ;  if  wishes  could  kill,  he'd  'a'  been 
dead  long  ago — and  maybe  so  would  you,"  laughed  Still. 

"What  a  unpleasant  laugh  you  have,"  frowned 

Leech.  He  did  not  often  allow  himself  the  luxury  of  a 
frown  ;  but  he  found  it  effective  with  Still. 

Next  morning  Leech  was  aroused  by  his  host  calling  to 
him  hastily  to  get  up.  Still  was  as  white  as  death. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  demanded  Leech. 

"  Get  up  and  come  out  quick.     Hell's  broke  loose." 


KU   KLUX— "AWFUL   FORMS   WRAPPED  LIKE   GHOSTS   IN  WINDING-SHEETS.' 


LEECH  LOOKS  HIGHEB  AND  GETS  A  FALL  239 

"When  Leech  came  out,  Still  pointed  him  to  a  picture 
drawn  with  red  chalk  on  the  floor  of  the  portico,  a  fairly 
good  representation  of  the  "  Indian-killer."  There  were 
also  three  crosses  cut  in  the  bark  of  one  of  the  trees  in 
front  of  the  door. 

"What  does  that  mean  ?" 

"  Means  some  rascals  are  trying  to  scare  you  :  we'll  scare 
them." 

But  Still  was  not  reassured.  Anything  relating  to  the 
"  Indian-killer  "  always  discomposed  him.  He  had  to  take 
several  drinks  to  bring  back  his  courage — and  when  about 
breakfast-time  the  news  began  to  come  to  them  of  the  vis- 
itation that  had  been  made  through  the  county  during  the 
night,  Leech,  too,  began  to  look  pale. 

By  mid-day  they  knew  the  full  extent  and  completeness 
of  the  stroke.  A  new  and  unknown  force  had  suddenly 
arisen.  .The  negroes  were  paralyzed  with  terror.  Many 
of  them  believed  that  the  riders  were  really  supernatural, 
and  they  told,  with  ashy  faces,  of  the  marvellous  things 
they  had  done.  Some  of  them  had  said  that  they  had  just 
come  from  hell  to  warn  them,  and  they  had  drunk  bucket- 
fuls  of  water,  which  the  negroes  could  hear  " sizzling"  as 
it  ran  down  their  throats. 

By  dusk  both  Leech  and  Still  had  disappeared.  They 
saw  that  the  organization  of  the  negroes  was  wholly  de- 
stroyed, and  unless  something  were  done,  and  done  imme- 
diately, they  would  be  stampeded  beyond  hope.  They 
harried  off  to  the  city  to  lay  their  grievances  before  the 
Governor,  and  claim  the  aid  of  the  full  power  of  the 
Executive. 

They  found  the  Governor  much  exercised,  indeed,  about 
the  attack  on  his  militia  ;  but  to  their  consternation  he 
was  even  more  enraged  against  themselves  by  the  announce- 
ment of  Leech's  prospective  candidacy  in  opposition  to 
him.  He  declared  that  he  had  aided  Leech  in  all  his 
schemes,  with  the  express  understanding  that  the  latter 
should  give  him  his  unqualified  support  for  re-election,  and 


240  BED   ROCK 

he  flatly  charged  him  with  treachery  in  announcing  himself 
a  candidate  in  opposition  to  him,  and  declined  to  interfere 
unless  Leech  at  once  retired. 

In  this  dilemma  Leech  promptly  denied  that  he  had  ever 
announced  himself  as  a  candidate. 

Well,  he  allowed  Nicholas  Ash  to  do  it,  which  amounted 
to  the  same  thing,  the  Governor  asserted. 

Leech  repudiated  any  responsibility  for  Ash's  action,  and 
denied  absolutely  that  he  had  any  idea  whatever  of  running 
against  the  Governor,  for  whom  he  asseverated  the  greatest 
friendship. 

Thus  the  matter  was  ostensibly  patched  up,  and  Leech 
and  Still  received  some  assurance  that  action  would  be 
taken.  When,  however,  they  left  the  presence  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, it  was  to  take  a  room  and  hold  a  private  conference 
at  which  it  was  decided  that  their  only  hope  lay  in  secur- 
ing immediately  the  backing  of  those  powers  0*1  whose 
support  the  Governor  himself  relied  to  be  sustained. 

"  I  know  him,"  whispered  Still.  "  You  didn't  fool  him. 
He  ain't  never  goin'  to  help  you.  May  look  like  he's 
standin'  by  you  ;  but  he  ain't.  We've  got  to  go  up  yonder. 
Bolter's  obliged  to  stand  by  us.  He's  too  deep  in."  He 
chucked  his  thumb  over  his  shoulder  in  the  direction  in 
which  his  noon-shadow  was  pointing.  Leech  agreed  with 
him,  and  instead  of  returning  home,  the  two  paid  a  some- 
what extended  visit  to  the  seat  of  government,  where  they 
posed  as  patriots  and  advocates  of  law  and  order,  and  were 
admitted  to  conferences  with  the  most  potent  men  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation,  before  whom  they  laid  their  case. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

DR.  GARY   MEETS   AN   OLD   COLLEGE   MATE  AND   LEARNS 
THAT  THE   ATHENIANS  ALSO   PRACTISE   HOSPITALITY 

THE  Ku  Klux  raid,  as  it  was  called,  created  a  great 
commotion,  not  only  in  our  county  but  in  other  quarters 
as  well.  There  had  been  in  other  sections  growlings  and 
threatenings,  altercations,  collisions,  and  outbreaks  of  more 
or  less  magnitude,  but  no  outbreak  so  systematic,  so  ex- 
tensive, and  so  threatening  as  this  had  hitherto  occurred, 
and  it  caused  a  sensation.  It  was  talked  about  as  <f  a  new 
rebellion,"  calling  for  the  suspension  of  the  writs  of  privi- 
lege and  the  exercise  of  the  strongest  powers  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

When  therefore  Leech  and  Still  appeared  at  the  nation- 
al capital,  as  suitors  appealing  for  aid  to  maintain  the  laws 
and  even  to  secure  their  lives,  they  found  open  ears  and 
ready  sympathizers.  They  were  met  by  Mr.  Bolter,  who 
mainly  had  taken  the  bonds  of  their  new  railway,  which 
was  not  yet  built,  and  who  was  known  as  a  wealthy  capi- 
talist. Thus  they  appeared  as  men  of  substance  and  stand- 
ing, well  introduced,  and  as  they  spoke  with  doubtful 
endorsement  of  the  Governor  they  were  even  regarded  as 
more  than  commonly  conservative,  and  their  tale  was  given 
unbounded  credit. 

When  they  returned  home  it  was  with  the  conviction 
that  their  mission  had  been  completely  successful ;  they 
had  not  only  secured  the  immediate  object  of  their  visit, 
and  obtained  the  promise  of  the  strongest  backing  that 
could  be  given  against  their  enemies,  but  they  had  gained 
even  a  more  important  victory.  They  had  instilled  doubts 
16  241 


242  BED   ROCK 

as  to  both  the  sincerity  and  the  wisdom  of  the  Governor  ; 
had,  as  Still  said,  "  loosed  a  lynch-pin  for  him,"  and  had 
established  themselves  as  the  true  and  proper  persons  to  be 
consulted  and  supported.  Thus  they  had  secured,  as  they 
hoped,  the  future  control  of  the  State.  They  were  in  an 
ecstasy,  and  when  a  little  later  the  new  judge  was  appointed, 
and  proved  to  be  Hurlbut  Bail,  the  man  Bolter  had  rec- 
ommended against  one  the  Governor  had  backed,  they 
felt  themselves  to  be  masters  of  the  situation. 

When  the  mission  of  Leech  and  Still  became  known  in 
the  old  county  it  created  grave  concern.  A  meeting  was 
held  and  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie,  with  one  or  two 
others  of  the  highest  standing,  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  go  on  and  lay  their  side  of  the  case  before  the  author- 
ities and  see  what  they  could  do  to  counteract  the  effect  of 
the  work  of  Leech  and  his  associates. 

It  was  the  first  time  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie  had 
been  to  the  national  capital  or,  indeed,  out  of  the  State, 
since  the  war,  and  they  were  astonished  to  see  what  prog- 
ress had  been  made  in  that  brief  period. 

They  found  themselves,  on  merely  crossing  a  river,  sud- 
denly landed  in  a  city  as  wholly  different  from  anything 
they  had  seen  since  the  war  as  if  it  had  been  a  foreign 
capital.  The  handsome  streets  and  busy  thoroughfares 
filled  with  well-dressed  throngs ;  gay  with  flashing  equi- 
pages, and  all  the  insignia  of  wealth,  appeared  all  the 
more  brilliant  from  the  sudden  contrast.  As  the  party 
walked  through  the  city  they  appeared  to  themselves  to  be 
almost  the  poorest  persons  they  saw,  at  least  among  the 
whites.  The  city  was  full  of  negroes  at  this  time.  These 
seemed  to  represent  mainly  the  two  extremes  of  prosperity 
and  poverty.  The  gentlemen  could  not  walk  on  the  street 
without  being  applied  to  by  some  old  man  or  woman  who 
was  in  want,  and  who,  as  long  as  the  visitors  had  anything 
to  give,  needed  only  to  ask  to  be  assisted. 

"We  are  like  lost  souls  on  the  banks  of  the  Styx," 
said  Dr.  Gary.  "  I  feel  as  much  a  stranger  as  if  I  were  on 


DK.   GARY   MEETS   AN   OLD   COLLEGE   MATE      243 

another  planet.  And  to  think  that  our  grandfathers  helped 
to  make  this  nation  ! " 

"  To  think  that  we  ever  surrendered  ! "  exclaimed  Gen- 
eral Legaie,  with  a  flash  in  his  eye. 

They  took  lodgings  at  a  little  boarding-house,  and  called 
next  day  in  a  body  on  the.  Head  of  the  Nation,  but  were 
unable  to  see  him  ;  then  they  waited  on  one  after  another 
of  several  high  officers  of  the  Government  whom  they 
believed  to  be  dominant  in  the  national  councils.  Some 
they  failed  to  get  access  to;  others  heard  them  civilly,  but 
with  undisguised  coldness.  At  one  place  they  were  treated 
rudely  by  a  negro  door-keeper,  whose  manner  was  so  in- 
solent that  the  General  turned  on  him  sharply  with  a  word 
and  a  gesture  that  sent  him  bouncing  inside  the  door. 
After  this  interview,  as  Dr.  Gary  was  making  his  way  back 
to  his  boarding-house,  he  met  one  of  his  old  servants.  The 
negro  was  undisguisedly  glad  to  see  him.  He  wrung  his 
hand  again  and  again. 

"You/s  de  fust  frien',  master,  Fs  seen  since  I  been 
heah  I"  he  said. 

"  You  are  the  first  friend,  John,  I  have  seen,"  said  the 
Doctor,  smiling.  He  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  gave 
the  old  man  a  bank-note. 

As  the  Doctor  was  engaged  in  this  colloquy  he  was 
observed  with  kindly  interest  or  amusement  by  many 
passers-by — among  them,  by  an  elderly  and  handsomely 
dressed  couple,  accompanied  by  a  very  pretty  girl,  who 
were  strolling  along,  and  loitered  for  a  moment  within 
earshot  to  observe  the  two  strangers. 

"What  a  picturesque  figure  V  said  the  lady  as  they 
passed  on. 

"Which  one?" 

"Well,  both.  I  almost  thought  of  them  as  one.  I 
wish,  Alice,  you  could  have  got  a  sketch  of  them  as  they 
stood." 

"  He  is  a  Southerner — from  his  voice,"  said  her  husband, 
who  was  Judge  Rockfield,  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  noted 


244  RED   ROCK 

men  at  that  time  in  public  life ;  one  of  the  wisest  in  coun- 
cil, and  who,  though  his  conservatism  in  that  period  of 
fierce  passion  kept  him  from  being  as  prominent  as  some 
who  were  more  violent  and  more  radical,  yet  was  esteemed 
one  of  the  ablest  and  soundest  men  in  the  country. 
He  was  a  Senator  from  his  State,  and  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  leading  and  most  powerful  journals  in  the  country. 

Dr.  Gary,  having  given  the  old  negro  his  address,  took  a 
street-car  to  try  to  overhaul  his  friends.  It  was  quite  full, 
and  the  Doctor  secured  the  last  vacant  seat.  A  few  blocks 
farther  on,  several  persons  boarded  the  car,  among  them 
the  elderly  gentleman  and  his  wife  and  daughter,  already 
mentioned,  and  another  lady.  The  Doctor  rose  instantly. 

"Will  you  take  my  seat,  madam  ? "  he  said  to  the  near- 
est lady,  with  a  bow.  The  other  ladies  were  still  left 
standing,  though  there  were  many  men  seated  ;  but  the 
next  second  a  young  fellow  farther  down  the  car  rose,  and 
gave  up  his  seat.  As  he  took  his  stand  the  Doctor  caught 
his  eye. 

"  'The  Athenians  praise  hospitality,  the  Lacedemonians 
practise  it,' "  he  said  in  a  distinct  voice  that  went  through 
the  car,  and  with  a  bow  to  the  young  fellow  which 
brought  a  blush  of  pride  to  his  pleasant  face. 

The  next  moment  the  gentleman  who  had  entered  with 
his  wife  touched  the  Doctor  on  his  arm. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon:  is  your  name  Gary  ? " 

"Yes,  SIT." 

"  Can  this  be  John  Gary  of  Bird  wood  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Don't  you  remember  Anson  Rockfield  ?  " 

"  Why,  Rockfield,  my  old  college-mate  !  "  exclaimed  the 
Doctor.  The  two  men  grasped  each  other's  hands  with  a 
warmth  which  drew  to  them  the  attention  and  interest  of 
the  whole  car.  "  Rockfield,  you  see  I  am  still  quoting 
Plutarch,"  said  the  Doctor. 

"And  still  practising  his  principles,"  said  the  Senator, 
smiling,  as  he  presented  him  to  his  wife. 


DR.  GARY  MEETS  AN  OLD  COLLEGE  MATE   245 

"  My  dear,  this  is  the  man  to  whom  you  are  indebted 
for  whatever  is  good  in  me.  But  for  him  I  should  have 
gone  to  the  d — 1  years  before  you  knew  me." 

"  He  gives  me  far  too  much  credit,  madam,  and  himself 
far  too  little/'  said  the  Doctor.  "  I  am  sure  that  ever  to 
have  been  able  to  win  the  prizes  he  has  won  he  must  have 
been  always  worthy,  as  worthy  as  a  man  can  be  of  a 
woman.1"  He  bowed  low  to  Mrs.  Kockfield. 

Senator  Rockfield  urged  the  Doctor  to  come  at  once  to 
his  house  and  be  his  guest  while  in  the  city,  an  invitation 
which  his  wife  promptly  seconded  with  much  graciousness. 

"  Let  us  show  you  that  some  of  the  Athenians  practise 
as  well  as  praise  hospitality,"  she  said,  smiling. 

Thanking  them,  the  Doctor  excused  himself  from  accept- 
ing the  invitation,  but  said  that  with  Mrs.  Rockfield's  per- 
mission he  would  call  and  pay  his  respects,  and  he  did  so 
that  evening. 

As  a  result  of  this  meeting  an  audience  was  arranged  for 
him  and  his  friends  next  day  with  the  President,  who 
heard  them  with  great  civility,  though  he  gave  them  no 
assurance  that  he  would  accept  their  views,  and  furnished 
no  clew  to  lead  them  to  think  they  had  made  any  impres- 
sion at  all.  They  came  away,  therefore,  somewhat  down- 
cast. 

Before  the  Southerners  left  for  home,  Senator  Rockfield 
called  on  Dr.  Gary  and,  taking  him  aside,  had  a  long  talk 
with  him,  explaining  somewhat  the  situation  and  the  part 
he  had  felt  himself  compelled  to  take.  He  wound  up, 
however,  with  an  appeal  that  Dr.  Gary  would  not  permit 
political  differences  to  divide  them  and  would  allow  him 
to  render  him  personally  any  assistance  that  his  situation 
might  call  for. 

"I  am  rich  now,  Gary/'  he  said  ;  "  while  you  have  suf- 
fered reverses  and  may  have  found  your  means  impaired 
and  yourself  at  times  even  cramped.  (The  Doctor  thought 
how  little  he  knew  of  the  real  facts.)  "It  is  the  fortune 
of  war,  and  I  want  you  to  allow  me  to  help  you.  I  sup- 


246  BED   ROCK 

pose  you  must  have  lost  a  good  deal  ?  "  he  said,  interroga- 
tively. 

A  change  passed  over  the  old  Doctor's  face.  Reminis- 
cence, pain,  resolution  were  all  at  work,  and  the  pleasant 
light  which  had  been  there  did  not  return,  but  in  its  place 
was  rather  the  shade  of  deepened  fortitude. 

"  No,"  he  said,  quietly.  "  '  War  cannot  plunder  Virtue/ 
I  have  learned  that  a  quiet  mind  is  richer  than  a  crown." 

"  Still,  I  know  that  the  war  must  have  injured  you 
some,"  urged  the  Senator.  "  We  were  chums  in  old  times 
and  I  want  it  to  be  so  now.  I  have  never  forgotten  what 
you  were  to  me,  and  what  I  told  my  wife  of  your  influence 
on  me  was  less  than  the  fact.  Why,  Gary,  I  even  learnt 
my  politics  from  you,"  he  said,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

Dr.  Gary  thanked  him,  but  was  firm.  He  could  think 
of  nothing  he  could  do  for  him. 

"  Except  this :  think  of  us  as  men.  Come  down  and 
see  for  yourself." 

"  Still  practising  Plutarch,"  said  the  Senator.  "  Well, 
the  time  may  come,  even  if  it  has  not  come  yet,  and  I 
want  you  to  promise  me  that  when  it  does,  you  will  call 
on  me — either  for  yourself  or  any  friend  of  yours.  It  will 
be  a  favor  to  me,  Gary,"  he  added,  with  a  new  tone  in  his 
voice,  seeing  the  look  on  the  Doctor's  face.  "  Somehow, 
you  have  turned  back  the  dial,  and  taken  me  back  to  the 
time  when  we  were  young  and  fresh,  and  full  of  high 
hopes  and — yes — aspirations,  and  I  had  not  found  out  how 
d — d  mean  and  sordid  the  world  is.  It  will  be  a  favor  to 
me." 

"All  right,  I  will,"  said  the  Doctor,  "if  my  friends 
need  it."  And  the  two  friends  shook  hands. 

So  the  Commission  from  the  old  county  returned  home. 

Captain  Allen  of  late  spent  more  and  more  of  his  time  at 
Dr.  Gary's.  His  attitude  toward  Blair  was  one  of  gallantry 
mingled  with  protection  and  homage ;  but  that  was  his 
attitude  toward  every  girl ;  so  Blair  was  under  no  delusion 
about  it,  and  between  them  was  always  waged  a  warfare  that 


DR.   CARY   MEETS   AN   OLD   COLLEGE  MATE      247 

was  half  pleasantry.  To  Mammy  Krenda,  however,  the 
young  man's  relation  to  her  mistress  meant  much  more. 
No  one  ever  looked  at  Blair  that  the  old  mammy  did  not 
instantly  interpret  it  as  a  confession  and  a  declaration, 
and  having  done  this  she  instantly  formed  her  judgment, 
and  took  her  stand.  She  had  divined  the  ambition  of  Dr. 
Still  long  before  that  aspiring  young  man  dispatched  to 
Miss  Blair  that  tinted  note  which  was  the  real  if  not  the 
immediate  cause  of  the  Carys'  removal  from  Bird  wood  to 
the  Bellows  cottage.  And  during  those  preliminary  visits 
which  the  young  physician  had  made  to  the  old  one,  the 
old  woman  had  with  her  sharp  eyes  penetrated  his  assumed 
disguise  and  made  him  shiver.  Dr.  Still  knew  that 
though  Dr.  Gary  was  taking  him  at  his  word  and  believed 
he  really  came  so  often  to  talk  of  medicine  and  seek  ad- 
vice, yet  the  old  mammy  discerned  his  real  object,  and  de- 
spised him. 

In  Captain  Allen's  case  it  was  different.  Though  the 
old  woman  and  he  were  ostensibly  always  at  war  and  never 
were  together  without  his  teasing  her  and  her  firing  a  shot 
in  return  at  him,  yet,  at  heart,  she  adored  him.  His  dis- 
tinguished appearance  and  his  leading  position,  taken  with 
his  cordial  and  real  friendliness  toward  herself,  made  him 
a  favorite  with  her — and  the  speech  he  had  made  to  Mid- 
dleton  on  her  account  and  his  hostility  to  Leech  made  her 
his  slave. 

Her  manner  to  him  was  always  capricious  and  fault-find- 
ing, as  became  the  jealous  guardian  of  Miss  Blair ;  but 
"  old  Argos,"  as  Captain  Allen  called  her,  was  his  warm 
ally  and  he  knew  it.  She  took  too  many  occasions  to 
promote  his  and  Blair's  wishes,  as  she  understood  them, 
for  him  to  doubt  it,  and,  possibly,  it  was  as  much  due  to 
her  misapprehension  as  to  anything  else,  that  Steve  was 
drawn  on  to  do  what,  but  for  Blair's  good  sense,  might 
have  imperilled  both  his  happiness  and  hers. 

Since  the  stir  created  by  the  Ku  Klux  raid,  Captain 
Allen  had  exercised  more  precaution  than  he  was  accus- 


248  RED    ROCK 

tomed  to  do.  All  sorts  of  rumors  were  afloat  as  to 
what  the  Government  had  promised  on  the  instigation  of 
Leech  and  Still.  Captain  Allen's  name  was  mentioned  in 
all  of  them.  Steve,  in  consequence,  had  of  late  been  at 
the  court-house  less  continuously  than  usual.  And  from 
equally  natural  causes,  he  had  been  much  more  at  Dr. 
Gary's.  To  Mammy  Krenda's  innuendoes,  he  laughingly 
replied  that  it  was  healthier  near  the  mountains — to  which 
the  old  woman  retorted  that  she  knew  what  mountains  he 
was  trying  to  climb. 

One  afternoon  he  rode  up  to  Dr.  Gary's  a  little  earlier 
than  usual,  and,  finding  the  family  absent,  turned  his 
horse  out  in  the  yard  and  lounged  on  the  porch,  awaiting 
their  arrival.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when  Mammy 
Krenda  appeared.  Steve  watched  her  for  a  moment  with 
amusement.  He  knew  she  had  come  out  to  talk  to  him. 

"  What  are  you  prowling  about  here  for,  you  old  Ku 
Klux  witch,  you  ?"  he  asked,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

Mammy  Krenda  gave  a  sniff. 

"  Ku  Klux  !  Ku  Klux  !  !  If  prowlin'  mecks  Ku  Klux, 
I  wonder  what  you  wuz  doin'  last  night  ?  An'  what  you 
doin'  now  ?" 

"  Jerry's  been  around,  the  drunken  rascal  ! "  thought 
Steve  to  himself.  He  knew  Jerry  was  courting  a  grand- 
daughter of  old  Krenda's. 

"  How's  Jerry  coming  on  with  his  courting  ?"  he  asked, 
irrelevantly. 

"N'em  mind  about  Jerry,"  said  the  old  mammy. 
"  Jerry  know  mo'  'bout  co'tin'  than  some  other  folks." 

This  was  interesting,  and  Steve,  seeing  that  she  had 
something  on  her  mind,  gave  her  a  lead.  He  learned  that 
the  old  woman  thought  her  "  chile  "  was  not  well — that  she 
was  "pesterin'  herself  mightily"  about  something,  and, 
what  was  more  astonishing,  that  Mammy  Krenda  held  that 
he  himself  was  in  a  measure  responsible  for  it. 

A  little  deft  handling  and  a  delicate  cross-examination 
soon  satisfied  Steve  that  Jacquelin  stood  no  chance.  He 


DR.   GARY   MEETS   AN   OLD   COLLEGE  MATE 

hinted  as  to  Middleton.  Mammy  Krenda  threw  np  her 
head.  "  She  ain'  gwine  marry  no  Yankee  come  pokin'  in 
folks'  kitchen." 

That  disposed  of  it  so  far  as  Middleton  was  concerned. 

"  How  about  McRaffle  ?  He's  always  hanging  around  ?  " 
langhed  Steve. 

Krenda  gave  a  sniff  and  started  on. 

"  Dat  man  what  been  in  a  coffin  !  Jes'  soon  marry  a 
lizard  !  You  know  she  am*  go'  marry  dat  man  !  She 
wouldn'  look  at  him  ! " 

"  Well,  who  is  it  ?  "  demanded  Steve. 

The  old  woman  turned  and  faced  him  ;  gave  him  a 
penetrating  glance,  and,,  with  a  toss  of  her  turbaned-head, 
walked  into  the  house. 

Steve  sat  on  the  porch  for  some  time  in  deep  reflection, 
and  then  rising,  walked  across  the  grass,  saddled  his  horse 
and  rode  quietly  away.  All  the  past  came  before  him  and 
all  the  present  too.  Could  it  be  possible  that  he  had  been 
the  cause  of  Middleton'a  repulse  and  of  Jacquelin's  fail- 
ure ?  It  had  never  occurred  to  him.  Yet,  this  was  un- 
doubtedly the  old  mammy's  theory.  She  had  as  good  as 
told  him  that  he  was  the  cause  of  Blair's  disquietude,  and 
in  the  light  of  her  revelation  it  all  seemed  reasonable 
enough.  This  was  the  secret  of  her  attitude  toward 
Jacquelin.  If  she  cared  for  him,  it  was  his  duty  to  marry 
her.  And  where  could  he  ever  find  her  superior  ?  Who 
was  so  good  and  fine  ?  Such  were  his  reflections. 

So  one  evening  when  he  was  with  Blair,  he  suddenly 
began  to  speak  to  her  as  he  had  never  done  before.  Blair 
was  not  looking  at  him,  and  she  answered  lightly.  But 
Steve  did  not  respond  so.  He  had  grown  serious.  Blair 
looked  at  him  quickly  ;  her  smile  died  out,  and  the  color 
flushed  her  face.  Could  Steve  be  in  earnest  ?  She  gazed 
at  him  curiously  ;  but  unhesitatingly  ;  only  a  look  almost 
of  sorrow  came  into  her  eyes.  Steve  went  on  and  said 
all  he  had  planned.  When  he  had  finished,  Blair  sud- 
denly sat  down  by  him  and  put  her  hand  over  his.  She 


250  RED   ROCK 

was  perfectly  composed  and  her  eyes  looked  frankly  into 
his. 

"No,  Steve — you  are  mistaken,"  she  said,  quietly. 
"You  have  misunderstood  your  feelings.  You  do  not 
love  me — at  least,  you  are  not  in  love  with  me.  You  love 
me  I  believe,  devotedly,  and  I  thank  God  for  it  every  day 
of  my  life  ;  as  I  love  you  as  a  sister — but  you  are  not  in 
love  with  me.  You  would  help  me,  relieve  me,  spare  me 
trouble  and  anxiety,  save  me  from  Captain — M — Middle- 
ton — and  you  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  marry. 
Fut  there  is  one  reason.  You  are  not  in  love  with  me 
and  I  am  not  in  love  with  you."  She  was  speaking  so 
gravely  and  her  eyes  were  looking  into  his  so  frankly  and 
with  such  true  friendliness  that  Steve,  though  feeling  some- 
what flat  at  his  repulse,  could  not  deny  what  she  said. 

"I  know  the  difference,"  she  went  on,  quietly.  She 
paused  and  reflected  and,  to  Steve's  surprise,  suddenly 
changed  and  choked  up.  "  I  have  had  men  in  love  with 
me — and — "  Her  voice  faltered.  She  looked  down,  put 
her  hand  to  her  eyes  and  with  a  cry  of,  "  Oh  !  Steve  !  " 
buried  her  face  against  his  shoulder.  "I  seem  to  curse 
everyone  that  loves  me." 

In  an  instant  Steve's  strong  arm  was  around  her  and  he 
was  comforting  her  like  an  older  brother.  His  sympathy 
opened  the  girl's  heart,  and  drew  out  the  secret  of  her  un- 
happiness  as  nothing  else  could  have  done.  Blair  had  re- 
vealed her  feelings  to  him  as  she  had  hardly  before  revealed 
them  even  to  herself.  It  was  the  old  story  of  misunder- 
standing, and  high  spirit ;  stung  pride,  hot  words,  and  vain 
regret — regret  not  for  herself ;  but  only  for  others.  Her 
unhappiness  was  that  she  had  brought  sorrow  to  others.  It 
was  because  of  her  that  Jacquelin  had  left  home,  and  that 
his  mother  was  dying  of  a  broken  heart.  Steve  tried  to 
comfort  her.  She  was  all  wrong,  he  assured  her — she  took 
a  wholly  erroneous  view  of  the  matter.  But  it  was  not  a 
success.  Jacquelin,  she  knew,  had  incurred  Leech's  per- 
sonal hatred  on  her  account,  and  that  was  the  primary 


DR.   CARY  MEETS  AN  OLD   COLLEGE  MATE     251 

cause  of  his  exile.  All  the  other  trouble  had  flowed  from 
it ;  his  mother's  decline  was  owing  to  her  repining  for 
Jacquelin  and  her  anxiety  about  Rupert,  who,  cut  off  from 
his  mother's  care  and  influence,  was  beginning  to  show 
symptoms  of  wildness.  All  these  Blair  traced  back  to 
her  folly. 

Steve,  having  failed  in  his  effort  to  comfort  her  by  ar- 
gument, took  another  method  and  boldly  assailed  her 
whole  idea  as  unreasonable  and  morbid.  He  threatened 
to  write  to  Jacquelin  and  fetch  him  home,  and  he  would 
have  Rupert  back  at  once,  and  keep  him  straight  too,  and 
if  Leech  molested  him,  he  would  have  him  to  settle  with. 

The  effect  of  this  was  just  what  Steve  had  anticipated. 
Blair  suddenly  took  the  opposite  tack  ;  but  in  the  battle 
that  ensued  she  showed  that  she  had  recovered  at  least  a 
part  of  her  spirit. 

Steve  that  evening  sent  Jacquelin  a  letter  intended  to 
meet  him  on  the  arrival  of  his  vessel,  telling  him  of  his 
mother's  declining  health  and  urging  him  to  hasten  home. 
He  also  wrote  to  the  head  of  the  school  where  Rupert  was. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

JACQUELItf    GRAY    COMES     HOME    AND    CLAIMS   A   GRAVE- 
YARD 

WHEN"  Jacqu  lin  Gray  returned  home,  his  arrival  was 
wholly  unexpected.  His  ship  had  reached  port  only  a 
few  days  before  and  he  had  planned  to  take  his  friends  by 
eurprise,  and,  without  giving  any  notice,  had  at  once  started 
for  home.  He  would  hardly  have  been  known  for  the 
same  man  :  in  place  of  the  pallid  and  almost  bed-ridden 
invalid  who  had  been  borne  away  on  a  stretcher  a  year 
or  two  back,  appeared  a  vigorous,  weather-browned  man, 
almost  as  stalwart  as  Steve  himself.  The  first  to  recognize 
him  was  Waverley,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  railroad  by 
Mrs.  Gray  to  try  and  get  news  of  him. 

"  Well  b'fo'  de  Lord  ! "  exclaimed  the  old  man,  "  ef  dat 
ain't  ! — "  He  paused  and  took  another  scrutinizing  look, 
and,  with  a  bound  forward,  broke  out  again.  "  Marse 
Jack,  you  done  riz  f'um  de  dead.  Ef  I  didn'  think  'twas 
my  ole  marster — er  de  Injun -Killer.  Bless  de  Lord  ! — 
you's  jest  in  time.  My  mistis  sen'  me  down  fur  a  letter — 
she  say  she  'bleeged  to  have  a  letter  to-day.  But  dis  de 
bes'  letter  could  V  come  in  dis  wull  fur  her.  Yas,  suh, 
she'll  git  well  now."  He  took  in  the  whole  crowd  confi- 
dentially. He  was  wringing  Jacquelin's  hand  in  an  ecstasy 
of  joy,  and  the  welcome  of  the  others  was  not  less  warm,  if 
less  voluble.  Under  it  all,  however,  was  something  that 
struck  Jacquelin  and  went  to  his  heart — something  plain- 
tive— different  from  what  he  had  expected.  The  negroes 
too  had  changed.  The  hearty  laughter  had  given  place  to 
something  that  had  the  sound  of  bravado  in  it.  The  shin- 

252 


JACQUELIN  GRAY  COMES  HOME  253 

ing  teeth  were  not  seen  as  of  old.  Old  Waverley's  words 
sent  a  chill  through  him.  What  could  they  mean  ? 

How  was  his  mother  ?  And  aunt — and  all  the  others  ? 
— at  Birdwood  and  everywhere  ?  he  asked. 

His  mistress  had  been  "  mighty  po'ly,  mighty  po'ly  in- 
deed," the  old  servant  said.  "Been  jes'  pinin'  fur  you  to 
git  back.  What  meek  you  stay  so  long,  Marse  Jack  ?  Hit 
must  be  a  long  ways  'roun  de  wull  ?  But  she'll  be  all 
right  now.  De  Doctor  say  you  de  bes'  physic  she  could 
git.  All  de  others  is  well." 

"  And  all  at  Birdwood  ?  "  asked  Jacquelin. 

"  'Tain't  Budwood  you's  axin'  'bout.  Washy  Still,  he's 
at  Budwood.  Dem  you  want  know  'bput  is  at  Mis'  Sel- 
lers !  Washy  Still  thought  he  wuz  gwine  git  one  o'  dem 
whar  wuz  at  Budwood  ;  but  he  ain't  do  it.  Rich  or  no 
rich,  dee  tun  up  dey  nose  at  him — and  all  he  git  wuz  de 
nest  arter  de  bud  done  fly.  Dee  look  higher'n  him  I 
knows.  Bat  I  mighty  glad  you  come.  Marse  Steve,  he's 
dyah.  He's  a  big  man  now.  You's  done  stay  away  too 
long.  He's  one  o'  de  leaders." 

What  could  this  mean  ? 

As  Jacquelin  drove  homeward  with  the  old  man  he  dis- 
covered what  it  meant ;  for  Waverley  was  not  one  to  take 
the  edge  from  a  blow.  He  had  a  sympathetic  heart  and 
he  made  the  most  of  it. 

< (  Marse  Jack,  de  debble  is  done  broke  loose,  sho  ! "  he 
wound  up.  "De  overseer  is  in  de  gret  house,  and  de 
gent'man's  in  de  blacksmiff  shop.  I  wonders  sometimes 
dat  old  Injun-Killer  don'  come  down  out  de  picture  sho 
'nough— like  so  many  o'  dem  dead  folks  what  comin'  out 
dey  graves." 

"  What's  that  ?  "  asked  Jacquelin. 

"  Dat's  what  dee  tells  me,"  protested  Waverley.  "  De 
woods  and  roads  is  full  on  'em  at  night.  An*  you  can't  git 
a  nigger  to  stir  out  by  hisself  arter  dark.  I  b'lieves  it, 
and  so  does  plenty  o'  urrs."  He  gave  a  little  nervous 
laugh. 


254  BED   ROCK 

"  What  nonsense  is  this  ?  "  demanded  Jacqnelin. 

"  'Tain*  no  nonsense,  Marse  Jack.  'Tis  de  fatal  truf— 
Since  sich  doin's  been  goin'  on,  de  graves  won'  hole  'em. 
De's  some  knows  'tain'  no  nonsense  Dee  done  been  to  de 
house  o'  several  o'  dese  sarsy  niggers  whar  done  got  dee 
heads  turned  and  gin  'em  warnin'  an'  a  leetle  tetch  o' 
what's  comin'  to  'em.  Dee  went  to  Moses'  house  turr 
night  an'  gin  him  warnin'.  Moses  wa'nt  dyah ;  but  dee 
done  lef  him  de  wud — cut  three  cross  marks  in  de  tree 
right  side  he  do ' ;  an'  he  wife  say  dee  leetle  mo'  drink  de 
well  dry.  One  on  'em  say  he  shot  in  de  battle  nigh  heah 
and  was  cut  up  in  de  ole  horspittle,  and  dat  he  jes  come 
from  torment  to  gj'  Moses  an'  Sherrod  an'  Nicholas  Ash 
warnin'.  Dee  say  he  drink  six  water-bucketfuls  and  hit 
run  down  he  guzzle  sizzlin'  jes  like  po'in'  't  on  hot  stove. 
Moses  say  he  don'  mine  'em  ;  but  I  tell  you  he  better  ! " 
A  sudden  gleam  of  shrewdness  crossed  the  old  fellow's  face. 

"  Things  had  done  got  pretty  bad,  Marse  Jack,"  the  old 
man  went  on,  confidentially.  "Hiram  Still  and  Cun'l 
Leech,  dee  owned  ev'y  thing,  and  ef  you  didn't  do  what  dee 
say  you  couldn'  turn  roun'.  Hiram,  he  turn'  me  out  my 
shop  jes  soon  as  he  got  our  place  ;  an'  soon  as  he  fine  he 
couldn't  git  my  young  mistis,  he  turn*  de  Doctor  out. 
Look  like  he  and  dat  urr  man,  Leech,  sutney  is  got  a 
grudge  'ginst  all  o'  we  all.  Dee  done  put  dee  cross  marks 
'ginst  Hiram  too.  Some  say  'twas  de  Injun-Killer.  Leech 
say  he  don'  mine  'em — he's  gwine  to  be  gov'ner  an'  he  say 
he'll  know  how  to  settle  'em  ;  but  Hiram,  sence  he  fine  dat 
mark  on  de  porch  and  on  de  tree,  he  walks  right  smart 
lighter'n  he  did." 

As  they  neared  the  county  seat  they  met  a  body  of 
negroes  marching.  The  officers  yelled  at  them  to  get  out 
of  the  way,  and  old  Waverley  pulled  out  to  one  side. 
"  What  are  they  ?  "  asked  Jacquelin. 

"Dem's  Cun'l  Leech's  soldiers,"  said  Waverley  — 
"  dem's  de  mellish.  When  you  meets  dem  you  got  to  git 
out  'n  de  way,  I  tell  you." 


JACQCJELIN  GEAY   COMES  HOME  255 

The  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  county  in  the  few  years 
of  his  absence  impressed  Jacqnelin.  It  seemed  to  him 
greater  even  than  that  which  had  taken  place  during 
the  war.  The  fields  were  more  grown  up ;  the  houses 
more  dilapidated.  But  as  much  as  these  warned  him, 
Jacquelin  was  not  prepared  for  the  change  which  on  his 
arrival  at  Dr.  Gary's  he  found  had  taken  place. 

His  mother's  appearance  struck  a  chill  to  his  heart. 
His  mother  had  become  an  old  woman.  She  had  kept 
everything  from  him  that  could  disturb  him.  He  was 
shocked  at  the  change  which  illness  had  made  in  her,  and 
all  he  could  do  was  to  try  and  conceal  his  anguish. 

He  sought  Dr.  Gary  and  had  a  long  talk  with  him  ;  but 
the  Doctor  could  not  hold  out  any  hope.  It  waa»  simply 
a  general  breakdown,  he  told  him  :  the  effect  of  years  of 
anxiety.  "  You  cannot  transplant  old  trees/'  he  said,  sadly. 
Jacquelin  ground  his  teeth  in  speechless  self-reproach. 

"  Ah  !  my  dear  Jacquelin,  there  are  some  things  that 
even  you  could  not  have  changed,"  said  the  Doctor,  with  a 
deep  sigh. 

As  Jacquelin  looked  at  him  the  expression  on  the  old 
physician's  face  went  to  his  heart. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  he  said,  softly.  "  Ah  !  well,  we'll  pull 
through." 

"  You  young  men,  perhaps  ;  not  we  old  ones.  We  are 
too  broken  to  weather  the  storm.  Your  father  was  the 
fortunate  one." 

As  the  young  man  went  out  from  this  interview  he  met 
Blair.  She  had  just  come  in  from  her  school ;  her  cheeks 
were  all  aglow  and  she  gave  him  a  warm  handclasp — and 
her  eyes,  after  the  first  glance  into  his,  fell.  He  was  sure 
from  what  he  had  heard  that  she  was  engaged  to  Steve,  and 
he  had  rehearsed  a  hundred  times  how  he  should  meet  her. 
Now  like  a  puff  of  wind  went  all  his  strong  resolutions.  It 
was  as  though  he  had  opened  a  door  toward  the  sunrise. 
A  fresh  sense  of  her  charm  came  over  him  as  though  he 
had  just  discovered  her.  Her  presence  appeared  to  him  to 


256  BED   KOCK 

fill  all  the  place.  She  had  grown  in  beauty  since  he  went 
away.  She  was  blushing  and  laughing  and  running  away 
from  Steve,  who  had  met  her  outside  and  told  her  of 
Jacqu elm's  arrival,  and  was  calling  to  her  through  the 
door  to  come  back  ;  but  after  shaking  hands  with  Jacqu  elin 
she  sped  on  upstairs,  with  a  little  side  glance  at  him  as  she 
ran  up.  She  had  never  appeared  so  beautiful  to  Jacqu  elin. 
and  his  heart  leaped  up  in  him  at  her  charm.  It  was  the 
vision  that  had  gone  with  him  all  around  the  globe.  He 
followed  her  with  his  eyes.  As  she  turned  at  the  top  of 
the  stairs  his  heart  sank  ;  for,  leaning  down  over  the  banis- 
ters, she  gave  Steve  a  glance  so  full  of  meaning  that 
Jacquelin  took  it  all  in  in  an  instant. 

"  Fm  going  to  tell  him/'  called  Steve,  teasingly. 

"  No,  you  promised  me  you  would  not,  Steve,"  and  she 
was  gone. 

Jacquelin  turned  to  the  door. 

Steve  called  him : 

"  Jack,  Jack,  come  here." 

But  Jacquelin  could  not  stand  seeing  him  at  that  mo- 
ment. He  wanted  to  be  alone,  and  he  went  out  to  meet 
the  full  realization  of  it  all  by  himself. 

Jacquelin  made  up  his  mind  at  once.  Although  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Gary  pressed  him  to  stay  with  them,  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  live  in  the  house  with  Blair.  How  could 
he  sit  by  and  see  her  and  Steve  day  by  day !  Steve  was  as 
a  brother  to  him,  and  Blair,  from  her  manner,  meant  to  be 
a  sister  ;  but  he  could  not  endure  it.  He  declared  his  in- 
tention of  starting  at  once  to  practise  law.  Steve  offered 
him  a  partnership,  meeting  Jacqu  elm's  objection  that  it 
would  not  be  fair,  with  the  statement  that  he  would  make 
Jacquelin  do  all  the  work,  as  he  proposed  to  be  a  states- 
man. 

So,  as  the  Doctor  had  said  that  a  change  and  occupation 
in  household  duties  might  possibly  do  Mrs.  Gray  good, 
Jacquelin  rented  a  small  farm  between  the  Carys'  and  the 
old  hospital-place  on  the  river,  and  they  moved  there.  His 


JACQUELIN  GRAY   COMES   HOME  257 

mother  and  Miss  Thomasia  furnished  it  with  the  assistance 
of  Mrs.  Gary,  and  Blair,  and  other  neighbors ;  the  old 
pieces  of  furniture  and  other  odds  and  ends  giving,  as 
Miss  Thomasia  said,  "a  distinction  which  even  the  mean- 
ness of  the  structure  itself  could  not  impair.  For,  my 
dear/'  she  said  to  Blair,  who  was  visiting  them  the  even- 
ing after  they  had  made  their  exodus  from  Dr.  Gary's 
to  their  new  home,  '"'  I  have  often  heard  my  grandfather 
say  that  nothing  characterized  gentle-people  more  than  dig- 
nity under  misfortune/'  And  she  smoothed  down  her 
faded  dress  and  resumed  her  knitting  with  an  air  which 
Blair  in  vain  tried  to  reproduce  to  her  father  on  her  return. 
Jacquelin  was  vaguely  conscious  that  a  change  had  come, 
not  only  over  the  old  county  since  he  left  it,  but  over  his 
friends  also.  Not  merely  had  the  places  gone  down,  but 
the  people  themselves  were  somewhat  changed.  They 
looked  downcast ;  their  tone,  formerly  jovial  and  cheery, 
had  a  tinge  of  bitterness.  In  those  few  years  a  difference 
between  him  and  them  had  grown  up.  He  did  not  analyze 
it,  but  it  was  enough  to  disquiet  him.  Had  his  point  of 
view  changed  ?  He  saw  defects  which  he  thought  he 
could  remedy.  Those  he  was  with,  apparently  saw  none. 
They  simply  plodded  on,  as  though  oblivious  of  the  facts. 
It  made  him  unhappy.  He  determined  to  use  his  enlarged 
view,  as  he  deemed  it,  to  instruct  and  aid  those  who 
lacked  his  advantages.  It  seemed  to  him  that,  in  his  travels, 
his  horizon  had  widened.  On  the  high  seas  or  in  a  for- 
eign land,  it  had  been  the  flag  of  the  nation  that  he  wanted 
to  see.  He  had  begun  to  realize  the  idea  of  a  great  nation 
that  should  be  known  and  respected  wherever  a  ship  could 
sail  or  a  traveller  could  penetrate  ;  of  a  re-united  country 
in  which  the  people  of  both  sides,  retaining  all  the  best 
of  both  sides,  should  vie  with  each  other  in  building  up 
the  nation,  and  should  equally  receive  all  its  benefits.  He 
had  pondered  much  on  this,  and  he  thought  he  had  discov- 
ered the  way  to  accomplish  it,  in  a  complete  acceptance  of 
the  new  situation. 
17 


268  BED  ROCK 

It  was  a  great  blow  to  Jacqnelin  to  find  on  his  return 
what  extraordinary  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  county  : 
Still,  occupying  not  only  his  old  home,  but  Dr.  Gary's ; 
Leech  the  supreme  power  in  all  public  matters  in  the 
county ;  Nicholas  Ash  driving  a  carriage,  with  money  that 
must  have  been  stolen  ;  and  almost  the  entire  gentry  of  the 
State  either  turned  out  of  their  homes  or  just  holding  on, 
while  those  whom  he  had  left  half -amused  children  playing 
at  the  game  of  freedmen,  were  parading  around  the  coun- 
try in  all  the  bravery  and  insolence  of  an  armed  mob.  All 
this  was  a  shock  to  him.  He  spoke  of  his  views  to  Dr. 
Gary.  The  Doctor  was  the  person  who  had  first  suggested 
the  idea  to  his  mind,  and  was  the  one  who,  he  felt,  was  the 
soundest  and  safest  guide  to  follow.  In  the  little  that  he 
had  seen  of  him  since  his  return  he  had  found  him,  as  he 
knew  he  would  be,  precisely  the  same  he  had  always  been, 
absolutely  calm  and  unruffled.  To  his  astonishment  the 
Doctor  shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  Utopian.  I  thought  so  myself  formerly  and,  as  you 
may  remember,  incurred  much  animadversion  and  some 
obloquy.  I  did  not  care  a  button  about  that.  But  I  am 
not  sure  that  General  Legaie  and  those  who  agreed  with 
him,  whose  action  I  at  that  time  thought  the  height  of 
folly,  were  not  nearer  right  than  I  was.  I  am  sure  my 
principle  was  correct,  and,  perhaps,  had  they  yielded  and 
gone  in  with  us  at  the  beginning  it  might  have  been  differ- 
ent ;  but  I  am  not  certain  as  to  it  now."  He  bowed  his 
head  in  deep  and  painful  reflection. 

"  It  is  now  vae  victis,  and  the  only  hope  is  in  resistance/' 
he  proceeded,  sadly.  "  Yielding  is  esteemed  simply  a  con- 
fession of  cowardice.  The  miscreants  who  rule  us  know 
no  restraint  except  fear.  You  will  be  astonished  when  I 
tell  you  that  the  last  few  years  have  almost  overthrown  the 
views  I  have  held  for  a  lifetime.  I  am  nearer  agreeing 
with  Legaie  than  I  ever  was  in  my  whole  life."  The  old 
fellow  shook  his  head  in  deep  despondency  over  this  fatal 
declension. 


JACQUELIN  GRAY  COMES  HOME  259 

Jacquelin  did  not  agree  with  him.  He  had  all  a  young 
man's  confidence.  He  determined  that  he  would  effect  his 
ends  by  law.  He  shortly  had  an  illustration  of  what  the 
Doctor  meant. 

Mrs.  Gray  was  failing  steadily.  The  strain  she  had  un- 
dergone had  been  too  much  for  her.  She  had  lived  only 
until  Jacquelin's  return. 

To  the  end,  all  her  heart  was  on  her  old  home.  In  those 
last  days  she  went  back  constantly  to  the  time  when  she 
had  come  as  a  bride  to  her  home  adorned  with  all  that  love 
and  forethought  could  devise.  The  war  and  the  long 
years  of-  struggle  seemed  to  have  been  blotted  out  and  her 
memoiy  appeared  only  to  retain  and  to  dwell  on  every 
scene  of  the  old  life.  One  of  her  constant  thoughts  was  : 
If  she  could  only  have  lain  at  the  old  home,  at  her  hus- 
band's side  !  So,  she  passed  quietly  away.  In  the  watches 
of  the  "last  night,  when  no  one  was  with  her  but  Jacquelin, 
after  she  had  talked  to  him  of  Kupert  and  confided  him  to 
his  care,  she  asked  Jacquelin  if  he  thought  she  might  ever 
be  taken  home.  His  father  and  she  had  picked  out  the 
spot  under  one  of  the  great  trees. 

"  Mother,"  said  Jacquelin,  kneeling  beside  her  and  hold- 
ing one  of  her  thin,  transparent  hands  in  his,  "  if  I  live 
and  God  is  good  to  me,  you  shall  lie  there." 

He  had  consulted  General  Legaie  and  Steve  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  they  both  had  thought  that  the  burying-ground 
had  not  been  conveyed  in  the  deed  to  Still,  though  Leech, 
to  whom,  as  counsel  for  Still,  they  had  broached  the  mat- 
ter, asserted  that  it  had  been  included. 

The  day  Mrs.  Gray  died,  Dr.  Gary  wrote  a  note  to  Still 
on  Jacquelin's  behalf,  though  without  his  knowledge,  in- 
dicating his  cousin's  wish  to  bury  his  mother  beside  his 
father,  and  saying  that  it  would  not  be  held  to  affect  any 
question  of  ownership  at  issue  between  them. 

To  this  Still  replied  that  while  he  should  be  "  very  glad 
to  do  anything  that  Dr.  Gary  or  any  member  of  his  family 
asked  for  themselves,"  he  would  not  permit  any  outsider  to 


260  BED  ROCK 

be  buried  on  his  place,  especially  one  who  had  insulted 
him ;  that  he  did  not  acknowledge  that  any  question  ex- 
isted as  to  his  title ;  and  that  he  was  prepared  to  show  that, 
if  so,  it  was  unfounded.  He  added  that  he  was  "  going  to 
remove  the  tomb-stones,  cut  down  the  trees,  clear  up  the 
place,  and  get  rid  of  the  old  grave-yard  altogether." 

A  part  of  the  letter  was  evidently  written  by  a  lawyer. 

Dr.  Gary  felt  that  he  could  not  withhold  this  notification 
from  Jacquelin.  Before  doing  so,  however,  he  consulted 
General  Legaie.  The  little  General's  eyes  snapped  as  he 
read  the  letter.  ' '  Ah  I  if  he  were  only  a  gentleman  ! "  he 
sighed.  The  next  moment  he  broke  out.  "Ill -lay  my 
riding- whip  across  the  dog's  shoulders  !  That's  what  I'll 
do."  The  Doctor  tried  to  soothe  him.  He  would  show 
the  letter  to  Jacquelin,  he  said.  The  General  protested. 
"  My  dear  sir,  if  you  do,  there  will  be  trouble.  Young 
men  are  so  rash.  They  have  not  the  calm  deliberation  that 
we  have/'  The  Doctor,  recalling  his  conversation  with 
Jacquelin,  said  he  thought  he  could  rely  on  his  wisdom. 
"  If  he  sees  that  letter  there  will  be  trouble,"  asserted  the 
General,  "  or  he  is  not  the  nephew  of  his — ahem  !  not  the 
son  of  his  father."  However,  the  Doctor  was  firm.  So  he 
broke  the  matter  to  Jacquelin.  To  their  surprise,  Jacquelin 
took  it  very  quietly  ;  he  did  not  say  anything  nor  appear 
to  mind  it  a  great  deal.  The  General's  countenance  fell. 
"  Young  men  have  changed  since  my  day,"  be  said,  sadly. 

So  Mrs.  Gray  was  buried  in  what  had  been  a  part  of  the 
church-yard  of  the  old  brick-church,  and  Jacquelin,  walk- 
ing with  his  arm  around  Kupert,  was  as  quiet  as  Miss 
Thomasia. 

That  afternoon  he  excused  himself  from  the  further  at- 
tendance of  his  friends,  left  his  aunt  and  Eupert  and 
walked  out  alone.  He  went  first  to  the  house  of  his  neigh- 
bor, Stamper.  Him  Jacquelin  told  of  his  purpose.  Stamper 
wished  to  accompany  him  ;  but  he  would  not  permit  that. 
"  Have  you  got  a  pistol  ?  "  asked  Stamper.  No,  he  was 
not  armed,  he  said ;  he  only  wanted  his  friend  to  know, 


JACQUELItf  GRAY   COMES   HOME  261 

"in  case  anything  should  happen."  Then  he  walked 
away  in  the  direction  of  Eed  Rock,  leaving  little  Stamper 
leaning  on  the  bars  looking  after  him  rather  wistfully  un- 
til he  had  disappeared. 

He  had  not  been  gone  long  when  Stamper  started  after 
him.  "If  he  gets  hold  of  him,  Fm  af eared  he'll  kill 
him,"  he  muttered  as  he  hurried  along. 

It  was  after  sunset,  and  Hiram  Still  was  sitting  alone  in 
the  hall  at  Red  Rock,  by  a  table  in  the  drawers  of  which 
he  kept  his  papers.  He  never  liked  to  sit  in  the  dark, 
and  had  just  called  for  a  light.  He  was  waiting  for  it.  He 
was  not  in  a  good  humor,  for  he  had  had  something  of  a 
quarrel  with  Leech,  and  his  son  Wash  had  taken  the 
latter's  side.  The  young  doctor  was  always  taking  sides 
against  him  these  days.  They  had  made  him  write  Dr. 
Gary  that  he  was  going  to  clear  up  the  grave-yard,  and  he 
was  not  at  all  sure  that  it  was  a  good  thing  to  do ;  he  had 
always  heard  that  it  was  bad  luck  to  break  up  a  grave-yard, 
and  now  they  had  left  him  alone  in  the  house.  Even  the 
drink  of  whiskey  he  had  taken  had  not  restored  his  good 
spirits. 

Why  did  not  the  light  come?  He  roared  an  oath  toward 
the  open  door.  "  D n  the  lazy  niggers  !  " 

Suddenly  there  was  a  step,  or  something  like  a  step,  near 
him — he  was  not  sure  about  it,  for  he  must  have  been 
dozing — and  he  looked  up.  His  heart  jumped  into  his 
throat.  Before  him  in  the  hall  stood,  tall  and  gray,  the 
"Indian-killer,"  his  eyes  blazing  like  coals  of  fire. 

"  Good  God  !  "  he  gasped. 

No,  it  was  speaking — it  was  a  man.  But  it  was  almost 
as  bad.  Still  had  not  seen  Jacquelin  before  in  two  years. 
And  he  had  never  noticed  how  like  the  "Indian-killer" 
he  was.  What  did  he  want  ? 

"I  have  come  to  see  you  about  the  grave-yard,"  said 
Jacquelin.  The  voice  was  his  father's.  It  smote  Still  like 
a  voice  from  the  dead. 

Still  wanted  to  apologize  to  him  ;  but  he  could  not  speak, 


262  RED   ROCK 

his  throat  was  dry.  There  was  a  pistol  in  the  drawer  be- 
fore him  and  he  pulled  the  drawer  open  and  put  his  hand 
on  it.  The  cold  steel  recalled  him  to  himself  and  he  drew 
it  toward  him,  his  courage  reviving.  Jacquelin  must 
have  heard  the  sound  ;  he  was  right  over  him. 

"  If  you  attempt  to  draw  that  pistol  on  me,"  he  said, 
quietly,  "  I  will  kill  you  right  where  you  sit." 

Whether  it  was  the  man's  unstrung  condition,  or  whether 
it  was  Jacquelin's  resemblance  to  the  fierce  Indian-killer, 
as  he  stood  there  in  the  dusk  with  his  eyes  burning,  his 
strong  hands  twitching,  or  whether  it  was  his  unexpected 
stalwartness  and  fierceness  as  he  towered  above  the  over- 
seer, the  latter  sank  back  with  a  whine. 

A  negro  entered  at  a  side  door  with  a  light,  but  stood 
still,  amazed  at  the  scene,  muttering  to  himself  :  "  Good 
Lordy  ! » 

Jacquelin  went  on  speaking.  He  told  Still  that  if  he 
cut  down  so  much  as  a  bush  in  that  grave-yard  until  he  had 
a  decision  of  court  authorizing  him  to  do  so,  he  would  kill 
him,  even  if  he  had  the  whole  Government  of  the  United 
States  around  him. 

"  Now,  I  have  come  here  to  tell  you  this,"  he  said,  in 
the  same  quiet,  strange  voice,  ' '  and  I  have  come  to  tell 
you  one  thing  more,  that  you  will  not  be  in  this  place 
always.  We  are  coming  back  here,  the  living  and  the 
dead." 

Still  turned  even  more  livid  than  before.  "  What  do  you 
mean?"  he  gasped. 

"  What  I  say,  we  are  coming  back."  He  swept  his  eye 
around  the  hall,  turned  on  his  heel,  and  walked  toward 
the  picture  over  the  fireplace.  Just  then  a  gust  of  wind 
blew  out  the  lamp  the  negro  held,  leaving  the  hall  in 
gloom.  When  the  servant  came  back  with  a  light,  accord- 
ing to  the  story  that  he  told,  Still  was  raving  like  a  mad- 
man, and  he  drank  whiskey  and  raved  all  night. 

Neither  Still  nor  Jacquelin  ever  spoke  of  the  interview ; 
but  a  story  got  abroad  in  the  neighborhood  that  the  old 


BEFORE   HIM   STOOD,  TALL  AMD  GRAY,  THE   INDIAN-KILLER. 


JACQUELIN   GRAY    COMES   HOME  263 

Indian-killer  had  appeared  to  Still  the  night  of  Mrs.  Gray's 
burial  and  threatened  him  with  death  if  he  should  ever 
touch  the  grave-yard.  Still  said  he  had  never  meant  to 
touch  it  anyhow,  and  that  Leech  had  made  him  put  it  in 
the  letter  for  a  joke.  It  was,  however,  a  dear  joke. 

For  a  time  there  was  quite  a  coolness  between  the 
friends  ;  but  they  had  too  much  in  common  to  be  able  to 
afford  to  quarrel,  so  it  was  made  up. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

TWO  NEW  RESIDENTS   COME  TO  THE   COUNTY 

OTHER  changes  than  those  already  recorded  had  taken 
place  in  the  years  that  had  passed  since  the  day  when 
Middleton  and  Thurston,  on  their  way  to  take  command 
of  a  part  of  the  conquered  land,  had  found  Jacquelin 
Gray  outstretched  under  a  tree  at  the  little  country  station 
in  the  Eed  Rock  County.  In  this  period  Middleton  had 
won  promotion  in  the  West,  and  a  wound  which  had 
necessitated  a  long  leave  of  absence  and  a  tour  abroad  ; 
and  finally,  his  retirement  from  the  service.  Reely  Thur- 
ston, who  was  now  a  Captain  himself,  declared  that  Mid- 
dleton's  wound  was  received  in  the  South  and  not  in  the 
West,  and  that  if  such  wounds  were  to  be  recognized,  he 
himself  ought  to  have  been  sent  abroad.  The  jolly  little 
officer,  however,  if  he  wished  to  boast  of  wounds  of  this 
nature,  might  have  cited  a  later  one  ;  for  he  had  for  some 
time  been  a  devoted  admirer  of  Miss  Ruth  Welch,  who 
had  grown  from  a  romping  girl  to  a  lively  and  very  hand- 
some young  lady,  and  had,  as  Reely  said  of  her,  the  warm- 
est heart  toward  all  mankind,  except  a  man  in  love  with 
her,  and  the  coldest  toward  him,  of  any  girl  in  the  world. 
However  this  might  be,  she  had  turned  a  very  stony  heart 
toward  Thurston  in  common  with  a  number  of  others, 
and  after  a  season  or  two  at  fashionable  summer- resorts 
was  finding,  or  thinking  she  was  finding,  all  men  insipid 
and  life  very  commonplace  and  hollow.  She  declared 
that  she  liked  Thurston  better  than  any  other  man  except 
her  father  and  a  half  dozen  or  more  others,  all  of  whom 
labored  under  the  sole  dit;alvantage  of  being  married, 

364 


TWO   NEW   RESIDENTS   COME  TO  THE   COUNTY     265 

and  she  finally,  as  the  price  of  the  continuance  of  this 
somewhat  measurable  state  of  feeling,  bound  the  Captain 
by  the  most  solemn  pledges  never  to  so  much  as  hint  at 
any  desire  on  his  part  for  a  higher  degree  of  affection. 

The  little  soldier  would  have  sworn  by  all  the  gods, 
higher  and  lower,  to  anything  that  Ruth  Welch  proposed, 
for  the  privilege  of  being  her  slave  ;  but  he  could  no  more 
have  stopped  bringing  up  the  forbidden  subject  when  in 
her  presence,  than  he  could  have  sealed  up  the  breath  in 
his  plump  and  manly  bosom.  He  was  always  like  a  cat 
that  in  sight  of  cream,  though  knowing  he  is  on  his 
good  behavior,  yet,  with  invincible  longing,  licks  his 
chops. 

No  doubt  the  game  had  additional  zest  for  Captain 
Thurston  from  the  disapproval  with  which  Mrs.  Welch  al- 
ways regarded  him.  He  never  approached  Miss  Ruth 
without  that  lady  fluttering  around  with  the  semi-comical 
distress  of  an  anxious  hen  that  cannot  see  even  the  house- 
dog approach  her  chick,  without  ruffling  her  feathers  and 
showing  fight. 

This  had  thrown  Thurston  into  a  state  of  rather  chronic 
opposition  to  the  good  lady,  and  he  revenged  himself  for 
the  loss  of  the  daughter,  by  a  habit  of  apparently  espousing 
whatever  the  mother  disapproved  of,  who  on  her  part, 
lived  in  a  constant  effort  to  prove  him  in  the  wrong. 

He  had  even  ventured  to  express  open  skepticism  as  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  steps  Mrs.  Welch  and  her  Aid  Society 
had  been  taking  in  their  philanthropic  efforts  on  behalf  of 
the  freedmen  ;  giving  expression  to  the  heretical  doctrine 
that  in  the  main  the  negroes  had  been  humanely  treated 
before  the  war,  and  that  the  question  should  be  dealt 
with  now  from  an  economical  rather  than  from  a  senti- 
mental standpoint.  He  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the 
people  down  there  knew  more  about  the  Negro,  and  the 
questions  arising  out  of  the  new  conditions,  than  those 
who  were  undertaking  to  settle  those  questions,  from  a 
distance,  and  that,  if  let  alone,  the  questions  would  settle 


260  EED    ROCK 

themselves.  While  as  to  Leech,  the  correspondent  of  Mrs. 
Welch's  society,  he  declared  that  he  would  not  believe  any- 
thing he  said. 

Nothing  could  have  scandalized  Mrs.  Welch  more  than 
such  an  utterance.  And  it  is  probable  that  this  attitude 
on  Thurston's  part  did  as  much  as  her  real  philanthropy 
to  establish  her  in  the  extreme  views  she  held. 

For  some  time  past  there  had  been  appearing  in  the 
Censor,  the  chief  paper  in  the  city  where  the  Welches 
lived,  a  series  of  letters  giving  a  dreadful,  and,  what  Mrs. 
Welch  considered,  a  powerful  account  of  the  outrages  that 
were  taking  place  in  the  South.  According  to  the  writer, 
the  entire  native  white  population  were  engaged  in  nothing 
but  the  systematic  murder  and  mutilation  of  unoffending 
negroes  and  Northern  settlers,  who  on  their  side  were 
wholly  without  blame  and  received  this  persecution  with 
the  most  Christian  and  uncomplaining  humility. 

The  author's  name  was  not  given,  because,  it  was  stated 
in  the  letters,  if  it  were  known,  he  would  at  once  be  mur- 
dered. Indeed,  it  was  declared  that  the  letters  were  not 
written  for  publication  at  all,  but  were  sent  to  a  philan- 
thropic organization  composed  of  the  best  and  most  be- 
nevolent ladies  in  the  country,  who  would  vouch  for  the 
high  standing  of  the  noble  Christian  gentleman  from 
whose  pen  the  accounts  emanated.  As  the  letters  were 
from  the  very  section — indeed,  from  the  very  neighbor- 
hood which  Thurston  always  cited  as  an  evidence  of  the 
beneficent  effect  of  his  theory  of  moderation — Mrs.  Welch, 
who  was  the  head  of  the  organization  to  which  Leech  had 
written  them,  saved  them  for  the  purpose  of  confounding 
and,  once  for  all,  disposing  of  Captain  Thurston's  argu- 
ments, together  with  himself. 

So  one  morning  when  Thurston  was  calling  on  Euth 
Mrs.  Welch  brought  in  the  whole  batch  of  papers  and 
plumped  them  down  before  him  with  a  triumphant  air. 

"Now,  you  read  every  word  before  you  express  an 
opinion,"  she  said,  decisively. 


TWO  NEW  RESIDENTS  COME  TO  THE  COUNTY     267 

While  Thnrston  read,  Mrs.  Welch,  who  was  enjoying 
her  triumph,  annotated  each  letter  with  running  com- 
ments. These  impressed  Euth  greatly,  but  Thurston 
wilily  kept  his  face  from  giving  the  slightest  clew  to  his 
thoughts.  When  he  was  through  reading,  Mrs.  Welch  drew 
a  long  breath  of  exultation. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say  to  that  ?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  it  V  said  Thurston,  calmly. 

"  What ! "  Mrs.  Welch  was  lifted  out  of  her  chair  by 
astonishment. 

"  The  writer  of  that  is  Jonadab  Leech,  one  of  the  most 
unmitigated " 

"  Captain  Thurston  !  You  do  not  know  what  you  are 
talking  about !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Welch. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  Leech  is  not  the  writer  of  those 
letters  ?» 

"  No,  I  did  not  say  that/'  said  Mrs.  Welch,  who  would 
have  cut  out  her  tongue  before  she  would  have  uttered  a 
falsehood. 

"  I  would  not  believe  Leech  on  oath,"  said  the  Captain, 
blandly. 

"  Oh,  well,  if  that's  the  stand  you  take,  there's  no  use 
reasoning  with  you."  And  with  a  gesture  expressive  both 
of  pity  and  sorrow  that  she  must  wash  her  hands  of  him 
completely  and  forever,  Mrs.  Welch  gathered  up  her  papers 
and  indignantly  swept  from  the  room. 

When  Thurston  went  away  that  day  he  had  entrusted 
Kuth  with  an  apology  for  Mrs.  Welch  capable  of  being  ex- 
panded, as  circumstances  might  require,  to  an  unlimited 
degree ;  for  Ruth  had  explained  to  him  how  dear  to  her 
mother's  heart  her  charities  were.  But  he  had  also  given 
Ruth  such  sound  reasons  for  his  views  regarding  the  people 
in  the  region  where  he  had  been  stationed  that,  however 
her  principles  remained  steadfast,  the  sympathies  of  the 
girl  had  gone  out  to  those  whom  he  described  as  in  such 
incredible  difficulties. 

"  Ask  Larry  about  Miss  Blair  Gary,"  he  said.     "  Ask 


268  RED   ROCK 

him  which  is  the  better  man,  Dr.  Gary  or  Jonadab  Leech, 
and  which  he'd  believe  first,  that  Steve  Allen,  who  is 
spoken  of  as  such  a  ruffian,  or  Hiram  Still,  the  martyr." 

"  And  how  about  Miss  Dockett  ?  "  Ruth's  eyes  twin- 
kled. 

"  Miss  Dockett  ?— Who  is  Miss  Dockett  ?"  The  little 
Captain's  face  wore  so  comical  an  expression  of  counterfeit 
innocence  and  sheepish  guilt  that  the  girl  burst  out  laugh- 
ing. 

"  Have  you  been  in  love  with  so  many  Miss  Docketts 
that  you  can't  remember  which  one  lived  down  there  ?  " 

"No — oh,  the  girl  I  am  in  love  with  ?  Miss  Ruth — ah, 
Dockett  wasn't  the  name.  It  began  with  Wei — ."  He 
looked  at  Ruth  with  so  languishing  an  expression  that  she 
held  up  a  warning  finger. 

"  Remember." 

He  pretended  to  misunderstand  her. 

"  Certainly  I  remember — Ruth  Welch." 

Ruth  gathered  up  her  things  to  leave. 

<e  Please  don't  go. — Now  that  just  slipped  out.  I  swear 
I'll  not  say  another  word  on  the  subject  as  long  as  I  live, 
if  you'll  just  sit  down." 

"  I  can't  trust  you." 

"  Yes,  you  can,  I  swear  it ;  and  I'll  tell  you  all  abou* 
Miss  Dockett  and — Steve  Allen." 

This  was  too  much  for  Ruth,  and  she  reseated  herself 
with  impressive  condescension. 

Miss  Welch  was  greatly  interested  for  other  reasons. 
Her  father's  health  had  not  been  very  good  of  late,  and  he 
had  been  thinking  of  getting  a  winter  home  in  the  South, 
where  he  could  be  most  of  the  time  out  of  doors,  as  an  old 
wound  in  his  chest  still  troubled  him  sometimes,  and  the 
doctors  said  he  must  not  for  the  present  spend  another 
winter  in  the  North.  He  had  been  in  correspondence 
with  this  very  Mr.  Still,  who  was  spoken  of  so  highly  in 
those  letters,  about  a  place  just  where  this  trouble  was. 

Besides,  a  short  time  before  this  conversation  of  Ruth's 


TWO    NEW    RESIDENTS   COME  TO   THE   COUNTY     269 

with  Thurston,  Major  Welch  had  received  a  letter  from 
Middleton,  who  was  still  abroad,  asking  him  to  look  into 
his  affairs.  He  had  always  enjoyed  a  large  income,  but 
of  late  it  had,  he  stated,  fallen  off,  owing,  as  Mr.  Bolter, 
his  agent,  explained,  to  temporary  complications  growing 
out  of  extensive  investments  Bolter  had  made  for  him 
on  joint  account  with  himself  in  Southern  enterprises. 
These  investments,  Mr.  Bolter  assured  him,  were  perfectly 
safe  and  would  yield  in  a  short  time  immense  profits,  being 
guaranteed  by  the  State,  and  managed  by  the  strongest 
and  most  successful  men  down  there,  who  were  themselves 
deeply  interested  in  the  schemes.  It  had  happened,  that 
the  very  names  Bolter  had  given  as  a  guarantee  of  the  se- 
curity of  his  investment,  had  aroused  Middleton's  anxiety, 
and  though  he  had  no  reason,  he  said,  to  doubt  Bolter,  he 
did  doubt  Leech  and  Still,  the  men  Bolter  had  mentioned. 

Major  Welch  had  made  an  investigation.  And  it  had 
shown  him  that  the  investments  referred  to  were  so  exten- 
sive as  to  involve  a  considerable  part  of  his  cousin's  estate. 

Bolter  gave  Major  Welch  what  struck  the  latter  quite 
as  an  "audience/' though,  when  he  learned  the  Major's 
business,  he  suddenly  unbent  and  became  much  more 
confidential,  explaining  everything  with  promptness  and 
clearness.  Bolter  was  a  strong-looking,  stout  man,  with  a 
round  head  and  a  strong  face.  His  brow  was  rather  low, 
but  his  eyes  were  keen  and  his  mouth  firm.  As  he  sat  in 
his  inner  business  office,  with  his  clerks  in  outer  pens,  he 
looked  the  picture  of  a  successful,  self-contained  man. 

"  Why,  they  fight  a  railroad  coming  into  their  country 
as  if  it  were  a  public  enemy,"  he  said  to  Major  Welch. 

"  Then  they  must  be  pretty  formidable  antagonists/' 

"  And  I  have  gotten  letters  warning  me  and  denouncing 
the  men  who  have  planned  and  worked  up  the  matter — and 
who  would  carry  it  through  if  they  were  allowed  to  do  so 
— as  though  they  were  thieves." 

He  rang  a  bell  and  sent  for  the  letters.  Among  them 
was  one  from  Dr.  Gary  and  another  from  General  Le- 


270  KED   ROCK 

gaie.  Though  strangers,  they  said  they  wrote  to  him  as 
one  reported  to  be  interested,  and  protested  against  the 
scheme  of  Still  and  Leech,  who  were  destroying  the  State 
and  pillaging  the  people.  They  contrasted  the  condition 
of  the  State  before  the  war  and  at  the  present  time.  Dr. 
Gary's  letter  stated  that  ' '  for  purposes  of  identification  " 
he  would  say  that  both  his  father  and  grandfather  had 
been  Governors  of  the  State.  General  Legaie's  letter  was 
signed  "  Late  General,  C.  S.  A." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  such  people  ! "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Bolter.  "  They  abuse  those  men  as  if  they 
were  pickpockets,  and  they  are  the  richest  and  most  influ- 
ential men  in  that  county,  and  Leech  will,  without  doubt, 
be  the  next  Governor."  He  handed  Major  Welch  a  news- 
paper containing  a  glowing  account  of  Leech's  services  to 
the  Commonwealth,  and  a  positive  assertion  that  he  would 
be  the  next  Governor  of  the  State. 

"  What  did  you  write  them  in  reply  ? "  asked  Major 
Welch,  who  was  taking  another  glance  at  the  letters. 

' '  Why,  I  wrote  them  that  I  believed  I  was  capable  of 
conducting  my  own  affairs,"  said  the  capitalist,  with  satis- 
faction, running  his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets ;  "  and  if 
they  would  stop  thinking  about  their  grandfathers  and 
the  times  before  the  war,  and  think  a  little  more  about 
their  children  and  the  present,  it  would  be  money  in  their 
pockets." 

"  And  what  did  they  reply  to  that  ?  " 

"  Ah — why,  I  don't  believe  I  ever  got  any  reply  to  that. 
I  suppose  the  moss  had  covered  them  by  that  time,"  he 
laughed.  Major  Welch  looked  thoughtful,  and  the  capi- 
talist changed  his  tone. 

"  In  fact  I  had  already  made  the  investments,  and  I  had 
to  see  them  through.  Major  Leech  is  very  friendly  to  me. 
It  was  through  him  we  were  induced  to  go  into  the  enter- 
prise— through  him — and  because  of  the  opportunities  it 
offered,  at  the  same  time  that  it  was  made  perfectly  safe  by 
the  guarantee  of  both  the  counties  and  the  States.  He 


TWO   NEW   RESIDENTS   COME  TO   THE   COUNTY     271 

used  to  be  in  my — in  our — employ,  and  he  is  a  very  shrewd 
fellow,  Leech  is.  That  was  the  way  we  came  to  go  in,  and 
it  doesn't  do  to  swap  horses  in  the  stream. " 

"Mrs.  Welch  thinks  very  highly  of  him/'  said  Major 
Welch,  meditatively.  "  She  has  had  some  correspond- 
ence with  him  on  behalf  of  her  charitable  society  for 
the  freedmen,  and  she  has  been  much  impressed  by 
him/' 

"  My  only  question  was  whether  he  was  not  a  little  too 
philanthropic,"  said  Bolter,  significantly.  "  But  since  I 
have  come  to  find  out,  I  guess  he  has  used  his  philanthropy 
pretty  discreetly.  He's  a  very  shrewd  fellow/'  His  smile 
and  manner  grated  on  the  Major  somewhat. 

"  Perhaps  he  is  too  shrewd  ?"  he  suggested,  dryly. 

t(  Oh,  no,  not  for  me.  I  have  made  it  a  rule  in  life  to 
treat  every  man  as  a  rascal " 

"  Oh  ! "  A  shadow  crossed  the  Major's  brow,  which 
Bolter  was  quick  to  catch. 

"Until  I  found  out  differently/' 

"  I  should  think  the  other  would  have  been  rather  incon- 
venient." Major  Welch  changed  the  subject.  "  But  Cap- 
tain Middleton  had  some  sort  of  trouble  with  this  man,  and 
has  always  had  a  dislike  for  him.  And  I  think  I  shall  go 
South  and  look  into  matters  there." 

"Oh,  well,  that's  nothing,"  broke  in  Bolter,  hotly. 
"  What  does  Middleton  know  about  business  ?  That's  his 
trouble.  These  military  officers  don't  understand  the  word. 
They  are  always  stickling  for  their  d — d  dignity,  and  think 
if  a  man  ain't  willing  to  wipe  up  the  floor  for  'em  he's 
bound  to  be  a  rascal." 

It  was  as  much  the  sudden  insolence  in  the  capitalist's 
tone,  as  his  words  that  offended  Major  Welch.  He  rose  to 
his  feet. 

"  I  am  not  aware,  that  being  officers,  and  having  risked 
their  lives  to  save  their  country,  necessarily  makes  men 
either  more  narrow  or  greater  fools  than  those  who  stayed 
at  home,"  he  said,  coldly. 


272  RED   ROCK 

The  other,  after  a  sharp  glance  at  him,  was  on  his  feet 
in  an  instant,  his  whole  manner  changed. 

"  My  dear  sir.  You  have  misunderstood  me.  I  assure 
you  you  have."  And  he  proceeded  to  smooth  the  Major 
down  with  equal  shrewdness  and  success ;  delivering  a  most 
warm  and  eloquent  eulogy  on  patriotism  in  general,  and  on 
that  of  Captain  Lawrence  Middleton  in  particular.  Truth 
to  tell,  it  was  not  hard  to  do,  as  the  Major  was  one  of  the 
most  placable  of  men,  except  where  a  principle  was  in- 
volved ;  then  he  was  rock. 

Bolter  wound  up  by  making  Major  Welch  an  offer,  which 
the  latter  could  not  but  consider  handsome,  to  go  South 
and  represent  his  interests  as  well  as  Middleton's. 

"  If  he  is  going  there  he  better  be  on  my  side  than 
against  me,  and  his  hands  would  be  tied  then  anyway,"  re- 
flected Bolter. 

"  You  will  find  our  interests  identical,"  he  said,  seeing 
the  Major's  hesitation.  "  We  are  both  in  the  same  boat. 
And  you  will  find  that  I  have  done  by  Mr.  Middleton  just 
what  I  have  done  for  myself.  And  I  have  taken  every  pre- 
caution, of  that  you  may  be  sure.  And  we  are  bound  to 
win.  We  have  the  most  successful  men  in  the  State  with  us, 
bound  up  by  interest,  and  also  as  tight  as  paper  can  bind 
them.  We  have  the  law  with  us,  the  men  who  make,  and 
the  men  who  construe  the  law,  and  against  us,  only  a  few 
old  mossbacks  and  soreheads.  If  they  can  beat  that  com- 
bination I  should  like  to  see  them  do  it." 

The  only  doubt  in  Major  Welch's  mind  as  to  the  pro- 
priety of  a  move  to  the  South  was  on  account  of  his 
daughter. 

The  condition  of  affairs  there  made  no  difference  to  Major 
Welch  himself— for  he  felt  that  he  had  the  Union  behind 
him— and  he  knew  it  made  none  to  Mrs.  Welch.  She  had 
been  working  her  hands  off  for  two  years  to  send  things 
to  the  negroes  through  these  men,  Still  and  Leech.  But 
with  Ruth,  who  was  the  apple  of  her  father's  eye,  it  might 
be  another  matter. 


TWO  NEW  RESIDENTS   COME  TO  THE  COUNTY     273 

But  when  the  subject  was  broached  to  Ruth,  and  she 
chimed  in  and  sketched,  with  real  enthusiasm,  the  delights 
of  living  in  the  South,  in  the  country — the  real  country — 
amid  palm  and  orange  groves,  the  Major's  mind  was  set 
at  rest.  He  only  cautioned  her  against  building  her  air- 
castles  too  high,  as  he  knew  there  were  no  orange-groves 
where  they  were  going,  and  though  there  might  be  palms, 
he  doubted  if  they  were  of  the  material  sort,  or  very  easy 
to  obtain. 

Ruth's  ardor,  however,  was  not  to  be  damped  just  then. 

"  Why,  the  South  is  the  land  of  Romance,  Papa/' 

' e  It  will  be  if  you  are  there,"  smiled  her  father. 

It  is  said  that  curiosity  is  a  potent  motive  with  what  used 
to  be  called  the  gentler,  and,  occasionally,  even  the  weaker 
sex,  a  distinction  that  for  some  time  has  been  passing,  if 
it  has  not  altogether  passed,  away.  But  far  be  it  from  the 
writer  even  to  appear  to  give  adherence  to  such  a  doc- 
trine by  anything  that  he  may  set  down  in  this  veracious 
chronicle.  He  does  not  recollect  ever  to  have  heard  this 
remark  made  by  any  of  the  thousands  of  women  whom  he 
has  known,  personally,  or  through  books  with  which  the 
press  teems,  and  he  feels  sure  that  had  it  been  true  it 
would  not  have  escaped  their  acute  observation.  In  re- 
cording, therefore,  the  move  of  the  Welches  to  the  South 
he  is  simply  reporting  facts. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  discussion  between  Mrs.  Welch 
and  Captain  Thurston,  Mrs.  Welch  was  left  by  that  gentle- 
man in  what,  in  a  weaker  woman,  might  have  been  deemed 
a  state  of  exasperation.  After  all  the  trouble  she  had 
taken  to  secure  the  evidence  to  confound  and  annihilate 
that  young  man,  he  had  with  a  breath  undermined  her 
foundation,  or,  rather,  had  shown  that  her  imposing  fabric 
had  no  foundation  whatever.  He  knew  Leech,  and  she 
did  not.  She  would  now  go  and  satisfy  herself  by  per- 
sonal knowledge  that  she  was  right  and  he  wrong — as  she 
well  knew  to  be  the  case,  anyhow.  So,  many  people  start 
out  on  a  quest  for  information,  not  to  test,  but  to  prove, 
18  : 


274  RED   ROCK 

their  opinions.  Thus,  when  Major  Welch  came  with 
the  statement  of  the  offer  he  had  received,  Mrs.  Welch 
truthfully  declared  that  she  in  some  sort  saw  in  it  the 
hand  of  Providence.  This  was  strengthened  by  a  conver- 
sation with  Miss  Ruth,  who  quoted  Thurston's  opinion  of 
Leech. 

"  Captain  Thurston,  my  dear  !  "  said  Mrs.  Welch.  "  So 
light  and  frivolous  a  person  as  Captain  Thurston  is  really 
incapable  of  forming  a  just  opinion  of  such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Leech,  whose  letters  breathe  a  spirit  of  the  truest  Christian 
humility,  as  well  as  the  most  exalted  courage  under  cir- 
cumstances which  might  well  make  even  a  strong  man 
quail.  I  hope  you  will  not  quote  Captain  Thurston  to  me 
again.  You  know  what  my  opinion  of  him  has  always 
been.  I  never  could  understand  what  your  father's  and 
Lawrence  Middleton's  infatuation  for  him  was.  Besides, 
you  know  that  Captain  Thurston  was  in  love  with  some 
girl  down  in  that  country,  and  when  a  man  is  in  love  he  is 
absolutely  irresponsible.  Love  makes  a  man  a  fool  about 
everything." 

Thus  Mrs.  Welch,  so  to  speak,  shot  at,  even  if  she  did 
not  kill,  two  birds  with  one  stone.  If  she  did  not  kill  this 
second  bird  it  was  not  her  fault,  as  the  glance  which  she 
gave  Ruth  showed.  Ruth's  face  did  not  wholly  satisfy  her, 
for  she  added  : 

"  Besides  that,  Mr.  Bolter  has  been  down  there  and  he 
tells  me  that  he  thinks  very  highly  of  Major  Leech." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Bolter  !  I  don't  like  Mr.  Bolter,  and  neither 
do  you,"  began  Miss  Ruth. 

"  My  dear,  that  is  very  unreasonable  ;  what  possible 
cause  can  you  have  to  dislike  Mr.  Bolter,  for  you  do  not 
know  him  at  all  ?  " 

"  I  have  met  him.  He  did  not  go  into  the  army  ;  but 
stayed  at  home  and  made  money.  Papa  does  not  like  him 
either." 

"  Don't  you  see  how  illogical  that  is.  We  cannot  dis- 
like everyone  who  did  not  go  into  the  army." 


TWO   NEW   RESIDENTS   COME  TO  THE   COUNTY     275 

"  No,  I  know  that."  Ruth  pondered  a  moment  and 
then  broke  out,  laughing:  "Why,  mamma,  I  have  given 
two  reasons  for  not  liking  Mr.  Bolter,  and  you  did  not  give 
any  for  disliking  Captain  Thurston." 

"  That  is  different,"  replied  Mrs.  Welch,  gravely,  though 
she  did  not  explain  precisely  how,  and  perhaps  Ruth  did 
not  see  it. 

"  Mamma,"  burst  out  Ruth,  warmly,  her  face  glowing, 
ee  I  believe  in  a  man's  fighting  for  what  he  believes  right. 
If  I  had  been  a  man  when  the  war  broke  out  I  should  have 
gone  into  it,  and  if  I  had  lived  at  the  South  I  should 
have  fought  for  the  South." 

"  Ruth  !  "  exclaimed  her  mother,  deeply  shocked. 

f '  I  would,  mamma,  I  know  I  would,  and  you  would  too  ; 
for  I  know  how  much  trouble  you  took  to  get  an  exchange 
for  that  young  boy,  Mr.  Jacquelin  or  something,  that  Miss 
Bush,  the  nurse,  was  interested  in." 

"Ruth,  I  hope  I  shall  never  hear  you  say  that  again," 
protested  Mrs.  Welch,  warmly.  "  You  do  not  understand." 

"  I  think  I  do — I  won't  say  it  again — but  I  have  wanted 
to  say  it  for  a  long  time,  and  I  feel  so  much  better  for 
having  said  it,  mamma." 

So  the  conversation  ended. 

It  was  decided  that  Major  Welch  and  Ruth  should  go 
ahead  and  select  a  place  which  they  could  rent  until 
they  should  find  one  that  exactly  suited  them,  and  then 
Mrs.  Welch,  as  soon  as  she  could  finish  packing  the  furni- 
ture and  other  things  which  they  would  want,  should  fol- 
low them. 

A  week  later,  Ruth  and  her  father  found  themselves  in 
the  old  county  and  almost  at  their  journey's  end,  in  a  re- 
gion which  though  as  far  as  possible  from  Ruth's  concep- 
tion of  palm  and  orange  groves,  was  to  the  girl,  shut  up 
as  she  had  been  all  her  life  in  a  city,  not  a  whit  less  ro- 
mantic and  strange. 

It  was  far  wilder  than  she  had  supposed  it  would  be. 
The  land  lay  fallow,  or  was  cultivated  only  in  patches  ;  the 


276  RED   ROCK 

woods  were  forests  and  seemed  to  stretch  interminably  > 
the  fields  were  growing  np  in  hushes  and  briars.  And  yet 
the  birds  flitted  and  sang  in  every  thicket,  and  over  every- 
thing rested  an  air  of  peace  that  sank  into  Ruth's  soul,  as 
she  jolted  along  in  a  little  rickety  wagon  which  they  had 
hired  at  the  station,  and  filled  her  with  a  sense  of  novelty 
and  content.  She  was  already  beginning  to  feel  something 
of  the  charm  of  which  her  cousin,  Larry  Middleton,  and 
Captain  Thurston  were  always  talking.  Some  time,  per- 
haps, she  would  see  Blair  Gary,  about  whom  Keely  Thur- 
ston was  always  hinting  in  connection  with  Larry  Middle- 
ton  ;  and  she  tried  to  picture  to  herself  what  she  would  be 
like — small  and  dark  and  very  vivacious,  or  else  no  doubt, 
haughty.  She  was  sure  she  should  not  like  her. 

On  her  father,  however,  the  same  surroundings  that 
pleased  Miss  Ruth  had  a  very  different  effect.  Major 
Welch  had  always  carried  in  his  mind  the  picture  of  this 
section  as  he  remembered  it  the  first  time  he  rode  through 
it,  when  it  was  filled  with  fine  plantations  and  pleasant 
homesteads,  and  where,  even  during  the  war,  the  battle 
in  which  he  had  been  wounded  had  been  fought  amid 
orchards  and  rolling  fields  and  pastures. 

At  length,  at  the  top  of  the  hill  they  came  to  a  fork,  but 
though  there  was  an  open  field  between  the  roads,  such  as 
Major  Welch  remembered,  there  was  no  church  there  ;  in 
the  open  field  was  only  a  great  thicket,  an  acre  or  more 
in  extent,  and  the  field  behind  it  was  nothing  but  a  wilder- 
ness. 

"  We've  missed  the  road,  just  as  I  supposed,"  said  Major 
Welch.  "  We  ought  to  have  kept  nearer  to  the  river,  and  I 
will  take  this  road  and  strike  the  other  somewhere  down 
this  way.  I  thought  this  country  looked  very  different — 
and  yet —  ?  "  He  gazed  all  around  him,  at  the  open  fields 
filled  with  bushes  and  briars,  the  rolling  hills  beyond,  and 
the  rampart  of  blue  spurs  across  the  background. 

"  No,  we  must  have  crossed  Twist  Creek  lower  down 
that  day."  He  turned  into  the  road  leading  off  from 


TWO   NEW   RESIDENTS   COME  TO  THE   COUNTY     277 

that  they  had  been  travelling,  and  drove  on.  This  way, 
however,  the  country  appeared  even  wilder,  and  they  had 
driven  two  or  three  miles  before  they  saw  anyone.  Finally 
they  came  on  a  man  walking  along,  just  where  a  footpath 
left  the  road  and  turned  across  the  old  field.  He  was  a 
small,  sallow  fellow,  very  shabbily  dressed,  the  only  notice- 
able thing  about  him  being  his  eyes,  which  were  both  keen 
and  good-humored.  Major  Welch  stopped  him  and  in- 
quired as  to  their  way. 

"  Where  do  you  want  to  go  ?  "  asked  the  man,  politely. 

"  I  want  to  go  to  Mr.  Hiram  Still's,"  said  the  Major. 

The  countryman  gave  him  a  quick  glance. 

"  Well,  you  can't  git  there  this  way/'  he  said,  his  tone 
changed  a  little  ;  "  the  bridge  is  down,  on  this  road  and 
nobody  don't  travel  it  much  now — you'll  have  to  go  back 
to  Old  Brick  Church  and  take  the  other  road.  There's 
a  new  bridge  on  that  road,  but  it's  sort  o'  rickety  since 
these  freshes,  and  you  have  to  take  to  the  old  ford  again. 
One  of  Hiram's  and  Jonadab's  jobs,"  he  explained,  with  a 
note  of  hostility  in  his  voice.  Then,  in  a  more  friendly 
tone,  he  added  :  "  The  water's  up  still  from  last  night's  rain, 
and  the  ford  ain't  the  best  no  time,  so  you  better  not  try 
it  unless  you  have  somebody  as  knows  it  to  set  you  right. 
I  would  go  myself,  but "  He  hesitated,  a  little  embar- 
rassed— and  the  Major  at  once  protested. 

"  No,  indeed  !    Just  tell  me  where  is  Old  Brick  Church." 

"  That  fork  back  yonder  where  you  turned  is  what's 
called  Old  Brick  Church/' said  the  man;  "that's  where 
it  used  to  stand." 

"  What  has  become  of  the  church  ?  " 

"  Pulled  down  during  the  war." 

"  Why  don't  they  rebuild  it?  "  asked  the  Major,  a  little 
testily  over  the  man's  manner. 

"Well,  I  s'pose  they  think  it's  cheaper  to  leave  it 
down,"  said  the  man,  dryly. 

"  Is  there  any  place  where  we  could  spend  the  night?  " 
the  Major  asked,  with  a  glance  up  at  the  sunset  sky. 


278  BED   KOCK 

"  Oh,  Hiram  Still,  he's  got  a  big  house.  He'll  take  yon 
in,  if  he  gits  a  chance,"  he  said,  half  grimly. 

"But  I  mean,  if  we  get  overtaken  by  night  this  side 
the  river?  You  tell  me  the  bridge  is  shaky  and  the  ford 
filled  up  now.  I  have  my  daughter  along  and  don't  want 
to  take  any  chances." 

f(  Oh,  papa,  the  idea  !  As  if  I  couldn't  go  anywhere 
you  went,"  put  in  Euth,  suddenly. 

At  the  Major's  mention  of  his  daughter,  the  man's  man- 
ner changed. 

"  There's  Doct'r  Gary's,"  he  said,  with  a  return  of  his 
first  friendly  tone.  "  They  take  everyone  in.  You  just 
turn  and  go  back  by  Old  Brick  Church,  and  keep  the 
main,  plain  road  till  you  pass  two  forks  on  your  left  and 
three  on  your  right,  then  turn  in  at  the  third  you  come  to 
on  your  left,  and  go  down  a  hill  and  up  another,  and  you're 
right  there."  The  Major  and  Ruth  were  both  laughing ; 
their  director,  however,  remained  grave. 

"Ain't  no  fences  nor  gates  to  stop  you.  Just  keep  the 
main,  plain  road,  like  I  tell  you,  and  you  can't  git  out." 

"I  can't?  Well,  I'll  see,"  said  the  Major,  and  after  an 
inquiring  look  at  the  man,  he  turned  and  drove  back. 

"  What  bright  eyes  he  has,"  said  Ruth,  but  her  father 
was  pondering. 

"  It's  a  most  curious  thing ;  but  that  man's  face  and 
voice  were  both  familiar  to  me,"  said  he,  presently.  "  Quite 
as  if  I  had  seen  them  before  in  a  dream.  Did  you  observe 
how  his  whole  manner  changed  as  soon  as  I  mentioned 
Still's  name  ?  They  are  a  most  intractable  people." 

"  But  I'm  sure  he  was  very  civil,"  defended  Ruth. 

"  Civility  costs  nothing  and  often  means  nothing.  Ah, 
well,  we  shall  see."  And  the  Major  drove  on. 

As  they  passed  by  the  fork  again,  both  travellers  looked 
curiously  across  at  the  great  clump  of  trees  rising  out  of 
the  bushes  and  briars.  The  notes  of  a  dove  cooing  in 
the  soft  light  came  from  somewhere  in  the  brake.  They 
made  out  a  gleam  of  white  among  the  bushes,  but  neither 


TWO   NEW   RESIDENTS    COME  TO   THE   COUNTY     279 

of  them  spoke.  Major  Welch  was  recalling  a  night  he 
had  spent  in  that  churchyard  amid  the  dead  and  the 
dying. 

Euth  was  thinking  of  the  description  Middleton  had 
given  of  the  handsome  mansion  and  grounds  of  Dr. 
Gary,  and  was  wondering  if  this  Dr.  Gary  could  be  the 
same. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE   TRAVELLERS   ARE   ENTERTAINED   IN  A   FARM-HOUSE 

THE  sun  had  already  set  some  little  time  and  the  dusk 
was  falling  when  they  came  to  a  track  turning  off  from  the 
"  main,  plain  road/'  which  they  agreed  must  be  that  de- 
scribed to  them  as  leading  to  Dr.  Gary's.  They  turned 
in,  and  after  passing  through  a  skirt  of  woods  came  out 
into  a  field,  beyond  which,  at  a  little  distance,  they  saw 
a  light.  They  drove  on ;  but  as  they  mounted  the  hill 
from  which  the  light  had  shone  Ruth's  heart  sank,  for, 
as  well  as  they  could  tell  through  the  gathering  dusk, 
there  was  no  house  there  at  all,  or  if  there  was,  it  was  hid- 
den by  the  trees  around  it.  On  reaching  the  crest,  how- 
ever, they  saw  the  light  again,  which  came  from  a  small 
cottage  at  the  far  side  of  the  orchard,  that  looked  like  a 
little  farm-house. 

"  Well,  we've  missed  Dr.  Gary's  after  all,"  said  Major 
Welch. 

It  was  too  late  now,  however,  to  retrace  their  steps ;  so 
Major  Welch,  with  renewed  objurgations  at  the  stupidity  of 
people  who  could  not  give  a  straight  direction,  determined 
to  let  Dr.  Gary's  go,  and  ask  accommodation  there.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  picked  their  way  through  the  orchard  and 
drove  up  to  the  open  door  from  which  the  light  was  shin- 
ing. 

At  the  Major's  halloo  a  tall  form  descended  the  low  steps 
and  came  to  them.  Major  Welch  stated  their  case  as  be- 
lated travellers. 

Ruth's  heart  was  instantly  warmed  by  the  cordial  re- 
sponse : 

280 


THE  TRAVELLERS   ARE   ENTERTAINED  281 

"  Get  right  out,  sir — glad  to  have  yon. 

"  Ah,  my  dear — here  are  a  lady  and  gentleman  who  want 
to  spend  the  night/'  This  to  a  slender  figure  who  had  come 
out  of  the  house  and  joined  them.  "  My  daughter,  madam ; 
my  daughter,  sir." 

"  Good-evening,"  said  the  girl,  and  Euth,  who  had  been 
wondering  at  the  softness  of  these  farmer- voices,  recollected 
herself  just  in  time  to  take  the  hand  which  she  found  held 
out  to  her  in  the  darkness  in  instinctive  friendliness. 

"  I  am  Major  Welch,"  said  that  gentleman,  not  to  be 
behind  his  host  in  politeness.  "  And  this  is  my  daughter." 

"We  are  glad  to  see  you,"  repeated  the  young  girl  sim- 
ply to  Ruth  in  her  charming  voice,  as  if  the  introduction 
required  a  little  more  formal  greeting. 

"Ah  !  Major,  glad  to  see  you,"  said  the  host,  heartily. 
"  Are  you  any  relation  to  my  old  friend,  General  Welch 
of  Columbia,  who  was  with  Johnson  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  said  Major  Welch. 

"  Ah  !  I  knew  a  Major  Welch  in  the  Artillery,  and  an- 
other in  the  Sixth  Georgia,  I  think,"  hazarded  the  host. 
"  Are  you  either  of  those  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  Major,  with  a  laugh,  "  I  was  not.  I 
was  on  the  other  side — I  was  in  the  Engineer  Corps  under 
Grant." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  the  host,  in  such  undisguised  surprise  that 
Ruth  could  feel  herself  grow  hot,  and  was  sensible,  even  in 
the  darkness,  of  a  change  in  her  father's  attitude. 

"  Perhaps  it  may  not  be  agree 1  mean,  convenient, 

for  you  to  take  us  in  to-night  ?"  said  Major  Welch,  rather 
stiffly. 

"Oh,  my  dear  sir,"  protested  the  other,  "the  war  is 
over,  isn't  it  ?  Of  course  it's  convenient.  My  wife  is 
away  just  now,  but,  of  course,  it  is  always  convenient  to 
take  in  wayfarers."  And  he  led  the  horse  off,  while  his 
daughter,  whose  quiet  "Won't  you  walk  in?"  soothed 
Ruth's  ruffled  spirit,  conducted  them  into  the  house. 

When  Ruth  entered  she  had  not  the  slightest  idea  as  to 


282  BED   ROCK 

either  the  name  or  appearance  of  their  hosts.  They  had 
evidently  assumed  that  the  travellers  knew  who  they  were 
when  they  applied  to  spend  the  night,  and  it  had  been  too 
dark  outside  for  Ruth  to  see  their  faces.  She  only  knew 
that  they  had  rich  voices  and  cordial,  simple  manners, 
such  as  even  the  plainest  farmers  appeared  to  have  in  this 
strange  land,  and  she  had  a  mystified  feeling.  As  she 
entered  the  door  her  mystification  only  increased.  The 
room  into  which  she  was  conducted  from  the  little  veran- 
da was  a  sitting  or  living  room,  lower  in  pitch  than  al- 
most any  room  Ruth  had  ever  been  in,  while  its  appoint- 
ments appeared  curiously  incongruous  to  her  eyes,  dazzled 
as  they  were  from  coming  in  suddenly  from  the  darkness. 
Ruth  took  in  this  rather  than  observed  it  as  she  became 
accustomed  to  the  light,  for  the  first  glance  of  the  two 
girls  was  at  each  other.  Ruth  found  herself  astonished 
at  the  appearance  of  her  hostess.  Her  face  was  so  refined 
and  her  figure  so  slim  that  it  occurred  to  Ruth  that  she 
might  be  an  invalid.  Her  dress  was  simple  to  plainness, 
plainer  than  Ruth  had  ever  r3en  the  youngest  girl  wear, 
and  her  breast-pin  was  nothing  but  a  brass  button,  such 
as  soldiers  wear  on  their  coats ;  yet  her  manners  were  as 
composed  and  gracious  as  if  she  had  been  a  lady  and  in 
society  for  years. 

"  Why,  she  looks  like  a  lady,*'  thought  the  girl,  with  a 
new  feeling  of  shyness  coming  over  her,  and  she  stole  a 
glance  around  her  for  something  which  would  enable  her 
to  decide  her  hosts'  real  position.  The  appointments  of 
the  room,  however,  only  mystified  her  the  more.  A  plain, 
white  board  bookcase  filled  with  old  books  stood  on  one 
side,  with  a  gun  resting  in  the  corner,  against  it ;  two  or 
three  portraits  of  bewigged  personages  in  dingy  frames, 
and  as  many  profile  portraits  in  pastel  hung  on  the  walls, 
with  a  stained  print  or  two,  and  a  number  of  photographs  of 
soldiers  in  uniform  among  them.  A  mahogany  table  with 
carved  legs  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  piled  with 
books,  and  the  chairs  were  a  mixture  of  home-made  split- 


THE  TRAVELLERS  ARE  ENTERTAINED     283 

bottomed  ones  and  old-fashioned,  straight-backed  arm- 
chairs. 

"  How  curious  these  farmers  are/'  thought  Ruth ;  but 
she  did  not  have  a  great  deal  of  time  for  reflection,  for 
the  next  instant  her  hostess,  who  had  been  talking  to  her 
father,  was  asking  if  she  would  not  "take  her  things  off  " 
in  so  pleasant  a  voice,  that  before  hat  and  coat  were  re- 
moved all  constraint  was  gone  and  Ruth  found  herself  com- 
pletely at  home.  Then  her  hostess  excused  herself  and 
went  out  for  a  moment.  Ruth  took  advantage  of  her  ab- 
sence to  whisper  to  her  father,  with  genuine  enthusiasm, 
"  Isn't  she  pretty,  father  ?  What  are  they  ?" 

"I  don't  know,  but  I  suspect — "  Just  what  it  was 
that  he  suspected  Ruth  did  not  learn,  for  at  that  moment 
their  host  stepped  in  at  the  door,  and  laying  his  old  worn 
hat  on  a  table,  made  them  another  little  speech,  as  if  being 
under  his  roof  required  a  new  welcome.  Major  Welch 
began  to  apologize  for  running  in  on  them  so  unceremo- 
niously, but  the  farmer  assured  him  that  an  apology  was 
quite  unnecessary,  and  that  they  were  always  glad  to  wel- 
come travellers  who  carne. 

"  We  are  told  to  entertain  strangers,  you  know ;  for 
thereby,  they  say,  some  have  entertained  angels  unawares, 
and  though  we  cannot  exactly  say  that  we  have  ever  done 
this  yet,"  he  added,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  we  may 
be  beginning  it  now — who  knows  ? "  He  made  Ruth  a 
bow  with  an  old-fashioned  graciousness  which  set  her  to 
blushing. 

"What  a  beautiful  nose  he  has,  finer  even  than  my 
father's,"  she  thought. 

Just  then  the  young  hostess  returned,  and  the  next 
moment  an  old  negro  woman  in  a  white  kerchief  stood  in 
the  door  dropping  courtesies  as  though  she  were  in  a  play. 
Ruth  was  shown  up  a  narrow  little  flight  of  stairs  to  a 
room  so  close  under  the  sloping  roof  that  it  was  only  in 
the  middle  of  it  that  she  could  stand  upright.  Every- 
thing, however,  was  spotlessly  clean,  and  the  white  hang- 


284  RED   ROCK 

ings,  plain  and  simple  as  they  were,  and  the  little  knick- 
knacks  arranged  about,  made  it  dainty.  The  girl  picked 
up  one  of  the  books  idly.  It  was  an  old  copy  of  "  The 
Vicar  of  Wakefield."  As  she  replaced  the  book,  she  ob- 
served that  where  it  lay  it  covered  a  patch. 

At  supper  they  were  waited  on  by  the  old  negro  woman 
she  had  seen  before,  whom  both  their  host  and  hostess 
called  ' '  Mammy,"  and  treated  not  so  much  as  a  servant, 
as  if  she  were  one  of  the  family ;  and  though  the  china 
was  old  and  cracked,  and  mostly  of  odd  pieces,  the  young 
hostess  presided  with  an  ease  which  filled  Euth  with  aston- 
ishment. "  Why,  she  could  not  do  it  better  if  she  had 
lived  in  a  city  all  her  life,  and  she  is  not  a  bit  embarrassed 
by  us,"  she  thought  to  herself.  She  observed  that  the 
only  two  pretty  and  sound  cups  were  given  to  her  and  her 
father.  The  one  she  had  was  so  dainty  and  unusual  that 
she  could  not  help  looking  at  it  closely,  and  was  a  little 
taken  aback,  on  glancing  up,  to  find  her  hostess's  eyes  rest- 
ing on  her.  The  smile  that  came  into  them,  however,  reas- 
sured Euth,  and  she  ventured  to  say,  half  apologetically, 
that  she  was  admiring  the  cup. 

"Yes,  it  is  pretty,  isn't  it? "assented  the  other  girl. 
"  It  has  quite  a  history ;  you  must  get  my  father  to  tell 
it  to  you.  There  used  to  be  a  set  of  them." 

"  It  was  a  set  which  was  presented  to  one  of  my  ances- 
tors by  Charles  the  Second,"  said  the  father  thus  appealed 
to,  much  as  if  he  had  said,  ' '  It  is  a  set  that  was  given  me 
yesterday  by  a  neighbor."  Euth  looked  at  him  with 
wide-open  eyes  and  a  little  uncomfortable  feeling  that  he 
should  tell  her  such  a  falsehood.  His  face,  however,  wore 
the  same  calm  look.  "If  you  inspect  closely,  you  can 
still  make  out  the  0.  E.  on  it,  though  it  is  almost  obliter- 
ated. My  ancestor  was  with  his  father  at  Carisbrooke," 
he  added,  casually,  and  Euth,  glancing  at  her  father,  saw 
that  it  was  true,  and  at  the  same  moment  took  in  also 
the  fact  that  they  had  reached  the  place  they  had  been  look- 
ing for ;  and  that  this  farmer,  as  she  had  supposed  him 


THE  TRAVELLERS  ARE  ENTERTAINED     285 

to  be,  was  none  other  than  Dr,  Gary,  and  the  young  girl 
whom  she  had  been  patronizing,  was  Larry  Middleton's 
Blair  Gary,  a  lady  like  herself.  How  could  she  have 
made  the  mistake  !  As  she  looked  at  her  host  again,  the 
thoughtful,  self-contained  face,  the  high-bred  air,  the 
slightly  aquiline  nose,  the  deep  eyes,  and  the  calm  mouth 
and  the  pointed  beard  made  a  perfect  Vandyke  portrait. 
Even  the  unstarched,  loose  collar  and  turned-back  cuffs 
added  to  the  impression.  Ruth  seemed  to  have  been  sud- 
denly carried  back  over  two  hundred  years  to  find  herself 
in  presence  of  an  old  patrician.  She  blushed  with  confu- 
sion over  her  stupidity,  and  devoutly  hoped  within  herself 
that  no  one  had  noticed  her  mistake. 

After  supper,  Major  Welch  and  Dr.  Gary,  who  had  re- 
newed their  old  acquaintance,  fell  to  talking  of  the  war, 
and  Ruth  was  astonished  to  find  how  differently  their  host 
looked  at  things  from  the  way  in  which  all  the  people  she 
had  ever  known  regarded  them.  It  was  strange  to  the  girl 
to  hear  her  people  referred  to  as  "  the  Yankees"  or  "  the 
enemy  " ;  and  the  other  side,  which  she  had  always  heard 
spoken  of  as  "rebels,"  mentioned  with  pride  as  "the 
Confederates"  or  "our  men."  After  a  little,  she  heard 
her  father  ask  about  the  man  he  had  come  South  to  see — 
Mr.  Hiram  Still.  "  Do  you  know  him  ? "  he  asked  their 
host. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  I  know  him.  "We  all  know  him.  He 
was  overseer  for  one  of  my  friends  and  connections,  who 
was,  perhaps,  the  wealthiest  man  in  this  section  before  the 
war,  Mr.  Gray,  of  Red  Rock,  the  place  where  you  spent 
the  night  you  spoke  of.  Colonel  Gray  was  killed  at  Shiloh, 
and  his  property  all  went  to  pay  his  debts  afterward.  He 
had  some  heavy  indorsements,  and  it  turned  out  that  he 
owed  a  great  deal  of  money  to  Still  for  negroes  he  had 
bought  to  stock  a  large  plantation  he  had  in  one  of  the 
other  States — at  least,  the  overseer  gave  this  explanation, 
and  produced  the  bonds,  which  proved  to  be  genu'ne, 
though  at  first  it  was  thought  they  must  be  forged. 


286  RED   EOCK 

1  suppose  it  was  all  right,  though  some  people  thought 
not,  and  it  seems  hard  to  have  that  fellow  living  in 
Gray's  house." 

"  But  he  bought  it,  did  he  not  ?  "  asked  Major  Welch. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir,  he  bought  it — bought  it  at  a  forced  sale/' 
said  Dr.  Gary,  slowly.  "  But  I  don't  know — to  see  that  fel- 
low living  up  there  looks  very  strange.  There  are  some 
things  so  opposed  to  the  customary  course  of  events  that 
the  mind  refuses  to  accept  them." 

"  Still  lives  somewhat  lower  down,  I  believe  ? "  said 
Major  Welch. 

"  No,  sir,  he  is  not  very  far  off,"  said  Dr.  Gary.  "  He 
is  just  across  the  river  a  few  miles.  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  No,  I  do  not.  Not  personally,  that  is.  What  sort  of 
a  man  is  he  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  he  does  not  stand  very  well,"  answered  Dr. 
Gary,  deliberately. 

"Ah  !  Why,  if  I  may  ask  ?"  Major  Welch  was  stiffen- 
ing a  little. 

"  Well,  he  went  off  to  the  radicals,"  said  Dr.  Gary, 
slowly,  and  Ruth  was  amused  at  the  look  on  her  father's 
face. 

"  But  surely  a  man  may  be  a  republican  and  not  be  ut- 
terly bad?"  said  Major  Welch. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,  elsewhere,"  admitted  the  other, 
doubtfully.  "  In  fact,  I  have  known  one  or  two  gentle- 
men who  were — who  thought  it  best  to  accept  everything, 
and  begin  anew — I  did  myself  at  first.  But  I  soon  found 
it  impossible.  It  does  not  prove  efficacious  down  here. 
You  see — But,  perhaps,  you  are  one  yourself,  sir  ?"  very 
politely. 

"  I  am,"  said  Major  Welch,  and  Ruth  could  see  him 
stiffen. 

"  Ah  !  "  Their  host  leaned  a  little  back.  "  Well,  I  beg 
your  pardon.  Perhaps,  we  will  not  discuss  politics,"  he 
said,  with  great  courtesy.  "  We  should  only  disagree  and 
— you  are  my  guest." 


THE  TRAVELLERS   ARE  ENTERTAINED  287 

"  But  surely  we  can  talk  politics  without  becoming — 
ah — We  have  been  discussing  the  war  ? "  said  Major 
Welch. 

"  Ah,  my  dear  sir,  that  is  very  different,"  said  Dr.  Gary. 
t '  May  I  ask,  have  you  any  official — ah — ?  Do  you  expect 
to  stay  among  us  ?  " 

"Do  you  mean,  am  I  a  carpetbagger?"  asked  Major 
Welch,  with  a  smile.  But  the  other  was  serious. 

"  I  would  not  insult  you  under  my  roof  by  asking  yon 
that  question,"  he  said,  gravely.  "  I  mean  are  you  think- 
ing of  settling  among  us  as  a  gentleman  ?  " 

"Well,  I  can  hardly  say  yet — but,  perhaps,  I  am — 
thinking  of  it,"  said  Major  Welch.  "  At  least,  that  is 
one  reason  why  I  asked  you  about  that  man,  Still." 

"  Oh,  well,  of  course,  if  you  ask  as  my  guest,  I  will  take 
pleasure  in  giving  you  any  information  you  may  wish." 

"  Is  he  a  gentleman  ?"  interrupted  Major  Welch. 

"  Oh,  no — certainly  not  that,  sir.  He  is  hand  in  glove 
with  the  carpetbaggers,  and  the  leader  of  the  negroes 
about  here.  He  and  a  carpetbagger  named  Leech,  and  a 
negro  preacher  or  exhorter  named  Sherwood,  who,  by  the 
way,  was  one  of  my  own  negroes,  and  a  negro  named  Ash, 
who  belonged  to  my  friend  General  Legaie,  and  a  sort  of 
trick-doctor  named  Moses,  whom  I  once  saved  from  hang- 
ing, are  the  worst  men  in  this  section." 

Major  Welch  had  listened  in  silence,  and  now  he 
changed  the  subject ;  for  from  the  reference  to  Leech  he 
began  to  think  more  and  more  that  it  was  only  prejudice 
which  made  these  men  objects  of  such  narrow  dislike. 

When  Ruth  went  up  to  bed  she  was  in  a  sort  of  maze. 
The  old  negro  woman  whom  she  had  seen  downstairs  came 
up  to  wait  on  her,  and  Miss  Welch  was  soon  enlightened  as 
to  several  things.  One  was,  that  Dr.  Gary's  family  was  one 
of  the  greatest  in  the  State — perhaps,  in  the  old  woman's 
estimation,  the  greatest — except,  of  course,  Mrs.  Gary's,  to 
which  Mammy  Krenda  gave  rather  the  pre-eminence  as 
she  herself  had  always  belonged  to  that  family  and  had 


288  RED   ROCK 

nursed  Mrs.  Gary  and  Miss  Blair,  her  daughter.  Ac- 
cording to  her  they  had  been  very  rich,  but  had  lost  every- 
thing, first  by  the  war,  and  then,  by  the  wickedness  of 
someone,  against  whom  the  old  woman  was  especially 
bitter.  "He  am'  nuttin'  but  a  low-down  nigger-trader, 
nohow,"  she  declared,  savagely.  "  He  done  cheat  ev'ybody 
out  der  home,  he  and  dat  Leech  together,  an'  now  dey 
think  dey  got  ev'y thing  der  own  way,  but  dey'll  see. 
Dey's  dem  as  knows  how  to  deal  wid  'em.  An'  ef  dee 
ever  lay  dee  han's  pon  me,  dee'll  fine  out.  We  am'  gwine 
live  in  blacksmiff  shop  always.  Dem's  stirrin'  what  dee 
ain'  know  'bout,  an'  some  day  dee'll  heah  'em  comin9 
for  'em  to  judgment." 

"Ken  I  help  you  do  anything?"  she  asked,  presently. 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  said  Ruth,  stiffly.     "  Good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  and  she  went. 

"Why,  she  don't  like  us  as  much  as  she  does  them!" 
said  the  girl  to  herself,  filled  with  amazement  at  this  revo- 
lution of  all  her  ideas.  "  Well,  Larry's  right.  Miss  Gary 
is  charming,"  she  reflected. 

As  she  dropped  off  to  sleep  she  could  hear  the  hum 
of  voices  below,  where  Dr.  Gary  and  her  father  were 
keeping  up  their  discussion  of  the  war.  And  as  she  was 
still  trying  to  make  out  what  they  were  saying,  the  sun 
came  streaming  into  her  room  through  a  broken  shutter 
and  woke  her  up. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE   THICK-DOCTOR 

RUTH  WELCH  on  awaking,  still,  perhaps,  had  some  lit- 
tle feeling  about  what  she  understood  to  be  her  hosts'  atti- 
tude on  the  question  of  Northerners,  but  when  on  coming 
downstairs  she  was  greeted  on  the  veranda  by  her  young 
hostess,  who  presented  her  with  a  handful  of  dewy  roses, 
and  looked  as  sweet  as  any  one  of  them,  or  all  of  them  put 
together,  her  resentment  vanished,  and,  as  she  expressed 
it  to  her  mother  afterward,  she  "  went  over  to  the  enemy 
bag  and  baggage."  As  she  looked  out  through  the  orchard 
and  across  over  the  fields,  glowing  after  the  last  night's  rain, 
there  came  to  Ruth  for  the  first  time  that  tender  feeling 
which  comes  to  dwellers  in  the  country,  almost  like  a  sweet 
odor,  and  compensates  them  for  so  much  besides,  and  which 
has  made  so  many  a  poet,  whether  he  has  written  or  not. 
Her  hostess  took  her  around  the  yard  to  show  her  her  rose- 
bushes, particularly  one  which  she  said  had  come  from  one 
which  had  always  been  her  mother's  favorite  at  their  old 
home. 

"  We  have  not  always  lived  here  ?"  Her  voice  had  a 
little  interrogation  in  it  as  she  looked  at  Ruth,  much  as  if 
she  had  said,  "  You  know  ?  "  And  just  as  if  she  had  said 
it,  Ruth  answered,  softly,  "  Yes,  I  know." 

"  It  was  almost  entirely  destroyed  once  during  the  war 
when  a  regiment  of  cavalry  camped  in  the  yard,"  continued 
the  young  hostess,  "  and  we  thought  it  gone  ;  but  to  our 
delight  a  little  sprig  put  up  next  spring,  and  some  day  I 
hope  this  may  be  almost  as  good  as  the  old  one."  She 
sighed,  and  her  eves  rested  on  the  horizon  far  away. 
19  289 


290  RED   ROCK 

Ruth  saw  that  the  roses  she  had  given  her  had  come  from 
that  bush,  and  she  would  have  liked  to  stretch  out  her  arms 
and  take  her  into  a  bond  of  hearty  friendship. 

Just  then  Major  Welch  appeared,  and  a  moment  later, 
breakfast  was  announced.  When  they  went  into  the  little 
plain  dining-room  there  were  other  roses  in  an  old  blue 
bowl  on  the  table,  and  Euth  saw  that  they  not  only  made  the 
table  sweet,  but  were  arranged  deftly  to  hide  the  cracks 
and  chipped  places  in  the  bowl.  She  was  wondering  where 
Dr.  Gary  could  be,  when  his  daughter  apologized  for  his 
absence,  explaining  that  he  had  been  called  up  in  the  night 
to  go  and  see  a  sick  woman,  and  then,  in  his  name,  in- 
vited them  to  remain  as  their  guests  as  long  as  might  be 
convenient  to  them.  They  "  might  find  it  pleasanter  than 
to  stay  at  Mr.  Still's  ?  "  This  hospitality  the  travellers  could 
not  accept,  but  Ruth  appreciated  it  now,  and  she  would 
have  appreciated  it  yet  more  could  she  have  known  that  her 
young  hostess,  sitting  before  her  so  dainty  and  fresh,  had 
cooked  their  breakfast  that  morning.  When  they  left  af- 
ter breakfast,  Miss  Gary  came  out  to  their  vehicle,  giving 
them  full  directions  as  to  their  road.  Had  her  father  been 
at  home,  she  said,  he  would  have  taken  pleasure  in  con- 
ducting them  himself  as  far  as  the  river.  Uncle  Tarquin 
would  tell  them  about  the  ford. 

The  horse  was  held  by  an  old  colored  man,  of  a  dark  ma- 
hogany hue,  with  bushy  gray  hair,  and  short  gray  whiskers. 
On  the  approach  of  the  visitors  he  took  off  his  hat  and 
greeted  them  with  an  air  as  dignified  as  Dr.  Gary's  could 
have  been.  As  he  took  leave  of  them,  he  might  have  been 
a  host  bidding  his  guests  good-by,  and  he  seconded  his 
mistress's  invitation  to  them  to  come  again. 

When  they  drove  off,  Ruth  somehow  felt  as  if  she  were 
parting  from  an  old  friend.  Her  little  hostess's  patched 
table-cover  and  darned  dress,  and  cracked  china  hidden  by 
the  roses,  all  seemed  to  come  before  her,  and  Ruth  glanced  at 
her  father  with  something  very  like  tears  in  her  eyes.  They 
had  been  in  her  heart  all  the  morning.  Major  Welch,  how- 


THE  TKICK-DOCTOK  291 

ever,  did  not  observe  it.  The  fresh,  balmy  air  filled  his  lungs 
like  a  draught  of  new  life,  and  he  felt  an  interest  in  the 
country  about  him,  and  a  right  to  criticise  it.  It  had  been 
rich  enough  before  the  war,  he  said,  and  might  be  made  so 
now  if  the  people  would  but  give  up  their  prejudices  and 
go  to  work.  He  added  many  other  criticisms,  abstractly 
wise  and  sensible  enough.  Ruth  listened  in  silence. 

As  the  travellers  drove  along  they  passed  a  small  house, 
just  off  the  road,  hardly  more  than  a  double  cabin,  but  it 
was  set  back  amid  fruit-trees,  sheltered  by  one  great  oak, 
and  there  was  an  air  of  quietude  and  peace  about  it  which 
went  to  Ruth's  soul.  A  lady  in  black,  with  a  white  cap  on 
her  gray  hair,  and  a  white  kerchief  on  her  shoulders,  was 
sitting  out  on  the  little  veranda,  knitting,  and  Ruth  was 
sure  that  as  they  drove  by  she  bowed  to  them. 

The  sense  of  peace  was  still  on  the  girl  when  they  came 
on  a  country  store,  at  a  fork  in  the  road  a  mile  below. 
There  was  a  well,  off  to  one  side,  and  a  small  group  of  ne- 
groes stood  around  it,  two  or  three  of  them  with  mus- 
kets in  their  hands,  and  one  with  a  hare  hung  at  his  waist. 
Another,  who  stood  with  his  back  to  the  road  and  had 
a  twisted  stick  in  his  hand,  and  an  old  army  haversack 
over  his  shoulder,  was,  at  the  moment  the  wagon  drew  up, 
talking  loudly  and  with  vehement  gesticulation  ;  and,  as 
Major  Welch  stopped  to  ask  a  question,  Ruth  caught  the 
end  of  what  this  man  was  saying : 

' '  Fm  jest  as  good  as  any  white  man,  and  Fm  goin'  to 
show  'em  so.  I'm  goin'  to  marry  a  white  'ooman  and  meek 
white  folks  wait  on  me.  When  I  puts  my  mark  agin  a 
man  he's  gone,  whether  he's  a  man  or  a  'ooman,  and  Fse 
done  set  it  now  in  a  gum-tree." 

His  hearers  were  manifestly  much  impressed  by  him. 
An  exclamation  of  approval  went  round  among  them. 

The  little  wagon  stopping  attracted  attention,  and  the 
speaker  turned,  and  then,  quickly,  as  if  to  make  amends 
for  his  loud  speech,  pulled  off  his  hat  and  came  toward  the 
vehicle  with  a  curious,  cringing  motion. 


292  RED  ROCK 

"  My  master  ;  my  mistis,"  he  said,  bowing  lower  with 
each  step  until  his  knee  almost  touched  the  ground.  He  was 
a  somewhat  strongly  built,  dark  mulatto,  perhaps  a  little 
past  middle  age  and  of  medium  height,  and,  as  he  came  up  to 
the  vehicle,  Ruth  thought  she  had  never  seen  so  grotesque  a 
figure,  and  she  took  in  by  an  instinct  that  this  was  the  trick- 
doctor  of  whom  Dr.  Gary  had  spoken.  His  chin  stuck 
so  far  forward  that  the  lower  teeth  were  much  outside  of  the 
upper,  or,  at  least,  the  lower  jaw  was ;  for  the  teeth  looked 
as  though  they  had  been  ground  down,  and  his  gums, 
as  he  grinned,  showed  as  blue  on  the  edges  as  if  he  had 
painted  them.  His  nose  was  so  short  and  the  upper  part 
of  his  face  receded  so  much  that  the  nostrils  were  un- 
usually wide,  and  gave  an  appearance  of  a  black  circle 
in  his  yellow  countenance.  His  forehead  was  so  low  that 
he  had  evidently  shaved  a  band  across  it,  and  the  band  ran 
around  over  the  top  of  his  flat  head,  leaving  a  tuft  of  coarse 
hair  right  in  the  middle,  and  on  either  side  of  it  were  cer- 
tain lines  which  looked  as  if  they  had  been  tattooed.  Im- 
mediately under  these  were  a  pair  of  little  furtive  eyes 
which  looked  in  quite  different  directions,  and  yet  moved 
so  quickly  at  times  that  it  almost  seemed  as  if  they  were 
both  focussed  on  the  same  object.  Large  brass  earrings 
were  in  his  ears,  and  about  his  throat  was  a  necklace  of 
blue  and  white  beads. 

Major  "Welch,  having  asked  his  question,  drove  on,  the 
mulatto  bowing  low  at  each  step  as  he  backed  away  with 
that  curious  motion  toward  his  companions  by  the  well ; 
and  Ruth,  who  had  been  sitting  very  close  to  her  fa- 
ther, fascinated  by  the  negro's  gaze  and  strange  appear- 
ance, could  hardly  wait  to  get  out  of  hearing  before  she 
whispered  :  "Oh,  father,  did  you  ever  see  such  a  repulsive- 
looking  creature  in  all  your  life  ?  " 

The  Major  admitted  that  he  was  an  ugly  fellow,  and 
then,  as  a  loud  guffaw  came  to  them  from  the  rear,  added, 
with  that  reasonable  sense  of  justice  which  men  possess 
and  are  pleased  to  call  wisdom,  that  he  seemed  to  be 


THE  TEICK-DOCTOB  293 

very  civil  and  was,  no  donbt,  a  harmless  good-natured 
creature. 

"  I  don't  know/'  said  Kuth,  doubtfully.  "  I  only  hope 
I  shall  never  set  eyes  on  him  again.  I  should  die  if  I  were 
to  meet  him  alone. " 

"  Oh,  nonsense  ! "  said  her  father,  reassuringly.  < '  They 
are  the  most  good-natured,  civil  poor  creatures  in  the 
world.  I  used  to  see  them  during  the  war." 

The  Major  was  still  contesting  Dr.  Gary's  prejudices. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

MAJOR  WELCH  AKD  RUTH  BECOME  RESIDENTS 

IT  was  yet  early  in  the  day,  when  the  travellers  drove  np 
to  Red  Rock,  and  though  there  were  certain  things  which 
showed  that  the  place  was  not  kept  np  as  it  had  formerly 
been,  it  was  far  handsomer,  and  appeared  to  be  more  ex- 
tensively cultivated,  than  any  plantation  they  had  yet  seen. 
A  long  line  of  barns  and  stables  lay  at  some  little  distance 
behind  the  mansion,  half  screened  by  the  hill,  and  off  to 
one  side  stretched  a  large  garden  with  shrubbery,  appar- 
ently somewhat  neglected,  at  the  far  end  of  which  was  a 
grove  or  great  thicket  of  evergreens  and  other  trees. 

A  tall  man  with  a  slight  stoop  in  his  shoulders  came 
down  the  broad  steps,  and  advanced  to  meet  them  as  they 
drove  up. 

"Is  this  Colonel  "Welch  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Well,  not  exactly,  but  Major  Welch,"  said  that  gentle- 
man, pleasantly,  wondering  how  he  could  know  him,  "  and 
you  are— Mr.  Still?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  Fm  the  gentleman  :  Fm  Mr.  Still — Colonel 
Still,  some  of  'em  calls  me  ;  but  Fm  like  yourself,  Colonel, 
I  don't  care  for  titles.  The  madam,  I  suppose,  sir  ?  "  he 
smiled,  as  he  handed  Ruth  down. 

"  No,  my  daughter,  Miss  Welch,"  said  the  Major,  a  little 
stiffly,  to  Ruth's  amusement. 

"  Ah  !  I  thought  she  was  a  leetle  young  for  you,  Colonel ; 
but  sometimes  we  old  fellows  get  a  chance  at  a  fresh  covey 
and  we  most  always  try  to  pick  a  young  bird.  We're  real 
glad  to  see  you,  ma'am,  and  to  have  the  honor  of  enter- 
tainin'  so  fine  a  young  lady  in  our  humble  home.  My  son 
Wash,  the  Doctor,  ain't  at  home  this  mornin',  but  he'll  be 

294 


MAJOE  WELCH   AND   KUTH   BECOME  EESIDENTS     295 

back  to-night,  and  he'll  know  how  to  make  you  have  a  good 
time.  He's  had  advantages  his  daddy  never  had/'  he  ex- 
plained. 

There  was  something  almost  pathetic,  Major  Welch 
thought,  in  this  allusion  to  his  son,  and  his  recognition  of 
his  own  failure  to  measure  up  to  his  standard.  It  made 
Major  Welch  overlook  his  vulgarity  and  his  attempt  to  be 
familiar.  And  the  Major  decided  anew  that  Hiram  Still 
was  not  half  as  black  as  he  had  been  painted,  and  that  the 
opposition  to  him  which  he  had  discovered  was  nothing 
but  prejudice. 

As  they  entered  the  house,  both  Major  Welch  and  Ruth 
stopped  on  the  threshold,  with  an  exclamation.  Before 
them  stretched  one  of  the  most  striking  halls  Ruth  had 
ever  seen.  At  the  other  end  was  an  open  door  with  a 
glimpse  of  green  fields  and  blue  hills  in  the  distance  ;  but 
it  was  the  hall  itself  that  took  Ruth's  eye.  And  it  was  the 
picture  of  the  man  in  the  space  just  over  the  great  fireplace 
that  caught  Major  Welch.  The  "  Indian-killer "  again 
stood  before  him.  Clad  in  his  hunter's  garb,  with  the  dark 
rock  behind  him,  his  broken  rifle  at  his  feet,  his  cap  on 
the  back  of  his  head,  and  his  yellow  hair  pushed  from 
under  it,  his  eyes  fastened  on  Major  Welch  with  so '  calm 
and  yet  so  intense  a  look  that  Major  Welch  was  almost 
startled.  That  figure  had  suddenly  obliterated  the  years. 
It  brought  back  to  him  vividly  the  whole  of  his  former  visit. 

Ruth,  impressed  by  the  expression  of  her  father's  face, 
and  intensely  struck  by  the  picture,  pressed  forward  to  her 
father's  side,  almost  holding  her  breath. 

'•'  I  see  you're  like  most  folks,  ma'am ;  you're  taken  first 
thing  with  that  picture,"  said  Still ;  then  added,  with  a  half 
laugh,  "  and  it's  the  only  picture  in  the  batch  I  don't  really 
like.  But  I  jist  mortally  dislikes  that,  and  I'd  give  it  to 
anybody  who'd  take  it  down  from  thar,  and  save  me  harm- 
less." 

He  went  off  into  a  half  reverie.  The  Major  was  exam- 
ining the  frame  curiously.  He  put  his  finger  on  a  dim, 


296  BED   BOOK 

red  smear  on  the  bottom  of  the  frame.  Memory  was  bring- 
ing back  a  long  train  of  recollections.  Hardly  more  than 
ten  years  before,  he  had  stood  on  that  same  spot  and  done 
the  same  thing.  This  hall  was  thronged  with  a  gay  and 
happy  and  high  bred  company.  He  himself  was  an  honored 
guest.  His  gracious  host  was  standing  beside  him,  telling 
him  the  story.  He  remembered  it  all.  Now — they  were 
all  gone.  It  was  as  if  a  flood  had  swept  over  them. 
These  inanimate  things  alone  had  survived.  He  ran  his 
hand  along  the  frame. 

The  voice  of  his  host  broke  in  on  his  reflections. 

"  That  thar  red  paint  I  see  you  lookin'  at,  got  on  the 
frame  one  day  the  picture  fell  down  before  the  war.  A 
nigger  was  paintin'  the  hairth  right  below  it ;  it  wasn't 
nailed  then — and  a  gust  of  wind  come  up  sudden  and 
banged  a  door  and  the  picture  dropped  right  down  in  the 
paint.  Mr.  Gray,  who  used  to  own  this  place,  was  a  settin' 
right  by  the  winder  where  his  secretary  used  to  stand,  and 
I  had  jest  come  back  from  the  South  the  day  befo'  and  was 
talkin'  to  Mr.  Gray  about  it  in  the  hall  here  that  minute. 
'  Well/  says  I  to  him,  e  if  I  was  you,  I'd  be  sort  o'  skeered 
to  see  that  happen 9 ;  —  because  thar's  a  story  about  it,  that 
whenever  it  comes  down  the  old  fellow  in  the  graveyard 
gits  up,  and  something's  goin  to  happen  to  the  man  as  lives 
here.  '  No/  he  says,  '  Hiram  (he  always  called  me  Hiram), 
I'm  not  superstitious  ;  but  if  anything  should  happen,  I 
have  confidence  in  you  to  know  you'd  still  be  faithful — a 
faithful  friend  to  my  wife  and  boys/  he  says,  in  them  very 
words.  And  I  says  to  him,  '  Mr.  Gray,  I  promise  you  I 
will,  faithful.  And  that's  what  I've  done,  Major,  I've 
kept  my  word  and  yet,  see  how  they  treat  me  !  So  after  I 
got  the  place  I  nailed  the  picture  in  the  wall — or  rather 
just  before  that/'  he  said  in  his  former  natural  voice,  "  and 
it  ain't  been  down  since,  an*  it  ain't  comin'  down  neither." 

"  But  does  that  keep  him  from  coming  on  his  horse  as 
they  say  ?  Has  he  ever  been  seen  since  you  nailed  the 
frame  to  the  wall  ?"  Kuth  asked. 


MAJOR  WELCH  AND  KUTH  BECOME  RESIDENTS     297 

"  Well,  ma'am,  I  can  only  tell  you  that  I  ain't  never 
seen  him,"  said  their  host,  with  a  faint,  little  smile. 
"  Some  says  he's  still  ridin',  and  every  time  they  hears  a 
horse  nicker  at  night  around  here  they  say  that's  him  ;  but 
I  can't  say  as  I  believes  it." 

"  Of  course  you  cannot,"  said  the  Major,  a  little  ab- 
ruptly, ' '  for  you  know  it  isn't  he ;  you  have  too  much 
sense.  A  good  head  and  a  good  conscience  never  see  ap- 
paritions." The  Major  was  still  thinking  of  the  past. 

"  How  like  he  is  to  a  picture  I  saw  at  Dr.  Gary's,  that 
they  said  was  of  a  young  Mr.  Gray  who  still  lives  about 
here,"  said  Kuth,  recurring  to  the  picture.  She  turned  and 
was  surprised  to  see  what  a  change  had  come  over  her 
host's  face.  He  suddenly  changed  the  subject. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  you've  come  down,  Colonel.  Only  I'm 
sorry  I  didn't  know  just  when  you  were  coming.  I'd  have 
sent  my  carriage  for  you.  I've  been  lookin'  out  for  you, 
and  I've  got  the  prettiest  place  in  the  country  for  you,"  he 
said.  He  nodded  over  in  the  direction  of  the  garden.  "  I 
want  to  take  you  to  see  it.  It  will  just  suit  you.  The 
house  ain't  big,  but  the  land's  as  rich  as  low  grounds. 

"  And  you're  the  very  sort  of  a  man  we  want  here,  Ma- 
jor. Your  name  will  be  worth  a  heap  to  us.  Between 
ourselves,  you  can  conjure  with  a  Gover'ment  title  like  a 
trick-doctor.  Now,  this  fall,  if  you  just  go  in  with 
us — How  would  you  like  to  go  to  the  Legislature  ? "  he 
asked,  his  voice  lowered  the  least  bit,  and  interrupting 
himself  in  a  way  he  had. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Major  Welch.  "  No  politics  for  me. 
Why,  I'm  not  eligible — even  if  I  settle  here.  I  suppose 
there  are  some  requirements  in  the  way  of  residence  and 
so  forth?" 

"  Oh  !  requirements  ain't  nothin'.  We've  got  the  Legis- 
lature, you  see,  and  we — There's  some  several  been  elected 
ain't  been  here  as  long  as  you'll  been  when  the  election 
comes  off."  He  glanced  at  Major  Welch  and  interrupted 
himself  again.  "  The  fact  is,  Major,"  he  explained,  in  a 


^98  KED   KOCK 

somewhat  lower  key,  "  we've  had  to  do  some  things  a  leetle 
out  of  the  regular  run — to  git  the  best  men  we  could.  But 
if  we  could  get  a  gentleman  like  yourself " 

"  No,  Fm  not  in  politics/'  said  Major  Welch,  decisively. 
"  Fve  neither  experience  nor  liking  for  it,  and  I've  come  for 
business  purposes " 

"  Of  course,  you  are  quite  right,  Major,  you're  just  like 
me  ;  but  I  didn't  know  what  your  opinion  was.  Well, 
you've  come  to  the  right  place  for  business,  Major,"  he 
said,  in  so  changed  a  voice  that  he  seemed  to  be  two  per- 
sons speaking.  (<  It's  the  garden  spot  of  the  world — the 
money's  jest  layin'  round  to  waste  on  the  ground,  if  the 
folks  jist  had  the  sense  to  see  it.  All  it  wants  is  a  little 
more  capital.  Colonel  Leech  and  them's  been  talkin'  about 
runnin'  a  railroad  through  this  region.  You  know  after 
all's  said  and  done,  Colonel,  I  ain't  nothin'  but  a  plain 
farmer.  I  talks  about  railroads,  but,  fact  is,  Fd  ruther  see 
cotton  and  corn  grow  'n  the  finest  railroad's  ever  run.  My 
son  Wash,  the  Doctor,  he's  got  education,  and  he's  got  city 
ways  and  wants  a  railroad,  and  I  says  to  him,  that's  all 
right,  Wash,  you  have  yer  railroad  and  enjoy  it,  but  jist 
let  yer  old  pappy  set  on  his  porch  and  see  the  crops  grow. 
I've  made  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year  clear  money  on  this 
place,  and  that's  good  enough  for  me,  I  says.  That  may 
sound  like  foolishness  to  you,  Major,  but  that's  my  raisin', 
and  a  man  can't  git  over  his  raisin'." 

This  was  a  philosophic  fact  which  the  Major  had  often 
been  struck  with,  and  it  appeared  to  him  now  that  he  had 
a  most  excellent  example  of  it  before  him. 

As  Major  Welch  was  desirous  to  get  settled  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, he  and  Ruth  rode  over  that  afternoon  to  take  a  look 
at  the  place  Still  had  spoken  of.  A  detour  of  a  mile  or  so 
brought  them  around  to  a  small  farm-house  with  peaked 
roof  and  dormer  windows,  amid  big  locust-trees,  on  top 
of  a  hill.  Behind  it,  at  a  little  distance,  rose  the  line  of 
timbered  spurs  that  were  visible  through  the  hall-door  at 
Red  Rock,  and  in  front  a  sudden  bend  brought  the  river 


MAJOR   WELCH   AND   RUTH   BECOME   RESIDENTS     299 

in  view,  with  an  old  mill  on  its  nearer  bank,  and  the 
comb  of  water  flashing  over  the  dam.  Ruth  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  delight.  She  sketched  rapidly  just  what  they 
could  do  with  the  place.  Still  observed  her  silently,  and 
when  Major  Welch  inquired  what  price  was  asked  for  the 
place,  told  him  that  he  could  not  exactly  say  that  it  was 
for  sale.  The  Major  looked  so  surprised  at  this,  however, 
that  he  explained  himself. 

"It  is  this  way/'  he  said,  "it  is  for  sale  and  it  ain't." 

"  Well,  that's  a  way  I  do  not  understand.  Whose  is 
it  ? "  said  Major  Welch,  so  stiffly  that  the  other  changed 
his  tone. 

( '  Well,  the  fact  is,  Colonel,  to  be  honest  about  it/'  he 
said,  "  this  here  place  belongs  to  me  ;  but  I  was  born  on 
this  here  place,  not  exactly  in  this  house,  but  on  the  place, 
an'  I  always  thought 't  if  anything  was  to  happen — if  my 
son  Wash,  the  Doctor,  was  to  git  married  or  anything,  and 
take  a  notion  to  set  up  at  Red  Rock,  I  might  come  back 
here  and  live — you  see  ?  " 

The  Major  was  mollified.  He  had  not  given  the  man 
credit  for  so  much  sentiment. 

"Of  course,  if  you  really  wants  it—?"  began  Still,  but 
the  Major  said,  no,  he  would  not  insist  on  one's  making 
such  a  sacrifice  ;  that  such  a  feeling  did  him  credit. 

So  the  matter  ended  in  Still's  proposing  to  lease  the  place 
to  the  Major,  which  was  accepted,  Major  Welch  agreeing 
to  the  first  price  he  named,  only  saying  he  supposed  it  was 
the  customary  figure,  which  Still  assured  him  was  the  case. 
He  pointed  out  to  him  that  the  land  was  unusually  rich. 

"  What's  the  name  of  the  place  ?"  asked  Ruth. 

"  Well,  'tain't  got  any  special  name.  We  call  it  Stam- 
per's," Still  said. 

"  Stamper — Stamper  ?  "  repeated  the  Major.  "  Where 
have  I  heard  that  name  ?  " 

"You  might  'a  heard  of  him  in  connection  with  the 
riot 't  took  place  near  here  a  few  years  ago,  when  a  dozen 
or  so  soldiers  was  murdered.  'Twas  up  here  they  hatched 


300  RED   BOOK 

the  plot  and  from  here  they  started.  They  moved  away 
from  here,  and  I  bought  it." 

It  was  not  in  this  connection  that  the  Major  recalled 
the  name. 

"  What  was  ever  done  about  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Nothin'.  What  could  you  do  ?  "  demanded  Still,  trag- 
ically. 

"  Why  arrest  them  and  hang  them,  or  send  them  to 
prison." 

Still  gave  an  ejaculation. 

"  You  don't  know  'em,  Major  I  But  we  are  gittin*  'em 
straight  now/'  he  added. 

On  their  return  to  Red  Rock  they  found  that  Still's  son, 
the  Doctor,  had  arrived.  He  was  a  tall,  dark,  and,  at  a 
distance,  a  rather  handsome  young  man ;  but  on  nearer 
view  this  impression  vanished.  His  eyes  were  small  and 
too  close  together,  like  his  father's,  but  instead  of  the 
good-humored  expression  which  these  sometimes  had,  his 
had  a  suspicious  and  ill-contented  look.  He  dressed  show- 
ily and  evidently  took  great  pride  in  his  personal  appear- 
ance. He  had  some  education  and  was  fond  of  making  quo- 
tations, especially  in  his  father's  presence,  toward  whom 
his  attitude  was  one  of  censoriousness  and  ill-humor. 

His  manner  to  the  Major  was  always  polite,  and  to  Ruth 
it  was  especially  so ;  but  to  the  servants  it  was  arrogant, 
and  to  his  father  it  was  little  short  of  contemptuous.  The 
Major  heard  him  that  evening  berating  someone  in  so 
angry  a  tone  that  he  thought  it  was  a  dog  he  was  scolding, 
until  he  heard  Hiram  Still's  voice  in  mild  expostulation; 
and  again  at  the  table  that  evening  Dr.  Still  spoke  to  his 
father  so  sharply  for  some  little  breach  of  table  etiquette 
that  the  Major's  blood  boiled.  The  meekness  with  which 
the  father  took  his  son's  rebuke  did  more  to  secure  for  him 
the  Major's  friendship  than  anything  else  that  occurred 
during  their  stay  with  him. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII 

HIRAM     STILL    GETS    A     LEGAL    OPINION     AND     CAPTAIN 
ALLEN  CLIMBS   FOE   CHERRIES 

As  Major  Welch  was  anxious  to  be  independent,  he  de- 
clined Still's  invitation  to  stay  with  him,  and  within  a 
week  he  and  Euth  were  "camping  out"  at  the  Stamper 
place,  which  he  had  rented,  preparing  it  for  the  arrival  of 
Mrs.  Welch  and  their  furniture. 

As  it  happened,  no  one  had  called  on  the  Welches  while 
they  remained  at  StilFs  ;  but  they  were  no  sooner  in  their 
own  house  than  all  the  neighbors  round  began  to  come  to 
see  them. 

Euth  found  herself  treated  as  if  she  were  an  old  friend, 
and  feeling  as  if  she  had  known  these  visitors  all  her  life. 
One  came  in  an  old  wagon  and  brought  two  or  three  chairs, 
which  were  left  until  Euth's  should  come ;  another  sent 
over  a  mahogany  table ;  a  third  came  with  a  quarter  of 
lamb  ;  all  accompanied  by  some  message  of  apology  or 
friendliness  which  made  the  kindness  appear  rather  done 
to  the  senders  than  by  them. 

In  the  contribution  which  the  Carys  brought,  Euth 
found  the  two  old  cups  she  had  admired.  She  packed 
them  up  and  returned  them  to  Blair  with  the  sweetest  note 
she  knew  how  to  write. 

As  soon  as  he  was  settled,  Major  Welch  went  to  the 
Court-house  to  examine  the  records.  He  had  intended  to 
go  alone  and  had  made  arrangements,  the  afternoon  be- 
fore, with  a  negro  near  by  to  furnish  him  a  horse  next  day  ; 
that  evening,  however,  Still,  who  appeared  to  know  every- 

301 


302  RED   ROCK 

thing  that  was  going  on,  rode  over  and  asked  if  he  could 
not  take  him  down  in  his  buggy.  He  had  to  go  there  on 
some  business,  he  explained,  and  Colonel  Leech  would  be 
there  and  had  told  him  he  wanted  to  see  the  Major  and 
talk  over  some  matters,  and  wanted  him  to  be  there  too. 

The  Major  would  have  preferred  to  go  first  without  Still. 
However,  there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  accept 
the  offer  he  made  of  his  company  ;  and  the  next  morning 
Still  drove  over,  and  they  set  out  together,  Ruth  saying 
that  she  had  plenty  to  occupy  her  until  her  father's  return. 

They  had  not  been  gone  very  long  and  Ruth  was  busy- 
ing herself,  out  in  the  yard,  trimming  the  old  rose-bushes 
into  some  sort  of  shape,  when  she  heard  a  step,  and  looking 
up  saw  coming  across  the  grass,  the  small  man  they  had 
met  in  the  road,  who  had  told  them  the  way  to  Dr.  Gary's. 

He  wasn't  "  so  very  busy  just  then,"  he  said,  and  had 
come  to  see  if  they  <e  mightn't  like  to  have  a  little  hauling 
done  when  their  furniture  came." 

Ruth  thought  that  her  father  had  arranged  with  Mr. 
Still  to  have  it  done. 

"  I  ain't  particularly  busy  jest  now,  and  I'd  take  feed 
along — I  jest  thought  I'd  like  to  be  neighborly,"  repeated 
the  man.  "Hiram,  I  s'pect,  he's  chargin'  you  some'n  ?" 

Ruth  supposed  so. 

"  "Well,  if  he  ain't  directly,  he  will  some  way.  The  best 
way  to  pay  Hiram  is  to  pay  him  right  down." 

He  asked  Ruth  if  she  would  mind  his  going  in  and  look- 
ing at  the  house,  and,  when  she  assented,  he  walked 
around  silently,  looking  at  the  two  rooms  which  she 
showed  him :  their  sitting-room  and  her  father's  room ;  then 
asked  if  he  could  not  look  into  the  other  room  also.  This 
was  Ruth's  chamber,  and  for  a  second  she  hesitated  to 
gratify  curiosity  carried  so  far ;  but  reflecting  that  he  was  a 
plain  countryman,  and  might  possibly  misunderstand  her 
refusal  and  be  wounded,  she  nodded  her  assent,  and  stepped 
forward  to  open  the  door.  He  opened  it  himself,  however, 
and  walked  in,  stepping  on  tip-toe.  He  stopped  in  the 


HIKAM   STILL   GETS   A   LEGAL   OPINION          303 

middle  of  the  room  and  looked  about  him,  his  gaze  resting 
presently  on  a  nail  driven  into  a  strip  in  the  wall  just  be- 
gide  the  bed. 

"  I  was  born  in  this  here  room,"  he  said,  as  much  to 
himself  as  to  her  ;  then,  after  a  pause  :  "  right  in  that  thar 
cornder — and  my  father  was  born  in  it  before  me  and  his 
father  befo'  him,  and  to  think  that  Hiram  owns  it !  Hi- 
ram Still !  Well — well — things  do  turn  out  strange — 
don't  they  ?  Thar's  the  very  nail  my  father  used  to  hang 
his  big  silver  watch  on.  I  b'lieve  Fd  give  Hiram  a  hoss 
for  that  nail,  ef  I  knowed  where  I  could  get  another  one 
to  plough  my  crop/'  He  walked  up  and  put  his  hand  on 
the  nail,  feeling  it  softly.  Then  walked  out. 

"  Thankee,  miss.  "Will  you  tell  yo'  pa,  Sergeant 
Stamper'd  be  glad  to  do  what  he  could  for  him,  and  ef  he 
wants  him  jist  to  let  him  know  ? "  He  had  gone  but  a 
few  steps,  when  he  turned  back  :  "  And  will  you  tell  him 
I  say  he's  got  to  watch  out  for  Hiram  ?  " 

The  next  moment  he  was  gone,  leaving  Euth  with  a 
sinking  feeling  about  her  heart.  What  could  he  mean  ? 

She  had  not  long  to  think  of  it,  however,  for  just  then 
she  heard  the  sound  of  wheels  grinding  along  outside,  and 
she  looked  out  of  the  door  just  as  a  rickety  little  wagon 
drew  up  to  the  door.  She  recognized  the  driver  as  Miss 
Gary  and  walked  out  to  meet  her.  Beside  Blair  in  the 
wagon  sat,  wrapped  up  in  shawls,  though  the  day  was  warm, 
an  elderly  lady  with  a  faded  face,  but  with  very  pleas- 
ant eyes,  looking  down  at  Euth  from  under  a  brown  veil. 
Euth  at  first  supposed  that  she  was  Blair's  mother,  but 
Blair  introduced  her  as  "Cousin  Thomasia."  As  they 
helped  the  lady  out  of  the  vehicle,  Euth  was  amused  at  the 
preparation  she  made.  Every  step  she  took  she  gave  some 
explanation  or  exclamation,  talking  to  herself,  it  appeared, 
rather  than  to  either  of  the  girls. 

"  My  dear  Blair,  for  heaven's  sake  don't  let  his  head  go. 
Take  care,  my  dear,  don't  let  this  drop."  (This  to  Euth, 
about  a  package  wrapped  in  paper.) 


304  RED   ROCK. 

When  at  length  she  was  down  on  the  ground,  she  asked 
Blair  if  her  bonnet  was  on  straight :  "  Because,  my  dear  " 
— and  Kuth  could  not  for  her  life  tell  to  whom  she  was 
speaking — "nothing  characterizes  a  woman  more  than  her 
bonnet/' 

Then  having  been  assured  that  this  mark  of  character 
was  all  right,  she  turned  to  Euth,  and  said,  with  the  great- 
est graciousness  : 

"  How  do  you  do,  my  dear?  You  must  allow  me  to  kiss 
you.  I  am  Cousin  Thomasia." 

Euth's  surprised  look  as  she  greeted  her,  perhaps,  made 
her  add,  "I  am  everybody's  Cousin  Thomasia." 

It  was  indeed  as  she  said,  she  was  everybody's  Cousin 
Thomasia,  and  before  she  had  been  in  the  house  ten  min- 
utes, Euth  felt  as  if  she  were,  at  least,  hers.  She  accepted 
the  arm-chair  offered  her,  with  the  graciousness  of  a  queen, 
and  spread  out  her  faded  skirts  with  an  air  which  Euth 
noted  and  forthwith  determined  to  copy.  Then  she  pro- 
duced her  knitting,  and  began  to  knit  so  quietly  that  it 
was  almost  as  if  the  yarn  and  needles  had  appeared  at  her 
bidding.  The  next  instant  she  began  a  search  for  some- 
thing— began  it  casually,  so  casually  that  she  knit  between- 
times,  but  the  search  quickened  and  the  knitting  ceased. 

"Blair? I" 

"  You  brought  them  with  you,  Cousin  Thomasia." 

"  No,  my  dear,  I  left  them,  I'm  sure  I  left  them " 

(searching  all  the  time)  "right  on — Where  can  they  be?" 

"  I  saw  you  have  them  in  the  wagon." 

"  Then  I've  dropped  them — Oh,  dear  !  dear !  What 
shall  I  do?" 

"  What  is  it?"  asked  Euth. 

"  My  eyes,  my  dear — and  I  cannot  read  a  word  without 
them.  Blair,  we  must  go  right  back  and  hunt  for  them." 

But  Blair  was  up  and  searching,  not  on  the  floor  or  in 
the  road ;  but  in  the  folds  of  Miss  Thomasia's  dress ;  in  the 
wrappings  of  the  little  parcel  which  she  still  held  in  her  lap. 

"Here   they  are,   Cousin  Thomasia,"   she  exclaimed, 


HIBAM  STILL  GETS  A  LEGAL  OPINION         805 

triumphantly  drawing  them  out  of  the  paper.  "Eight 
where  you  put  them." 

Miss  Thomasia  gave  a  laugh  as  fresh  as  a  girl's. 

"  Why,  so  I  did  !  How  stupid  of  me  ! "  She  seated 
herself  again,  adjusted  her  glasses  and  began  to  unwrap 
her  parcel. 

"  Here,  my  dear,  is  a  little  cutting  I  have  fetched  you 
from  a  rose  which  my  dear  mother  brought  from  Kenil- 
worth  Castle,  when  she  accompanied  my  dear  father  to 
England.  I  was  afraid  you  might  not  have  any  flowers 
now,  and  nothing  is  such  a  panacea  for  loneliness  as  the 
care  of  a  rose-bush.  I  can  speak  from  experience.  The 
old  one  used  to  grow  just  over  my  window  at  my  old 
home  and  I  took  a  cutting  with  me  when  we  went  away 
— General  Legaie  obtained  the  privilege  of  doing  so — 
and  you  have  no  idea  how  much  company  it  has  been  to 
me.  I  will  show  you  how  to  set  it  out." 

The  glasses  were  on  now,  and  she  was  examining  the 
sprig  of  green  in  the  little  pot  with  profound  interest, 
while  her  needles  flew. 

"Where  was  your  old  home?"  Ruth  asked,  softly. 

"Here,  my  dear — not  this  place,  but  all  around  you. 
This  was  Mrs.  Stamper's — one  of  our  poor  neighbors. 
But  we  lived  at  Red  Rock." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Ruth,  shocked  at  having  asked  the  question. 

"  No  matter,  my  dear,"  the  old  lady  went  on.  "  Since  we 
moved  we  have  lived  at  a  little  place  right  on  the  road. 
You  must  come  over  and  let  me  show  you  my  roses  there. 
But  I  don't  think  they  will  ever  be  equal  to  the  old  ones — 
or  what  the  old  ones  were,  for  I  hear  they  are  nearly  all 
gone  now — I  have  never  been  back  since  I  left.  I  do  not 
think  I  could  stand  seeing  that — person  in  possession  of 
my  father's  and  my  brother's  estate."  She  sighed  for  the 
first  time,  and  for  the  first  time  the  needles,  as  she  leant 
back,  stopped. 

"  I  wrapped  up  my  glasses  to  keep  from  seeing  it  as  we 
drove  up  the  hill.  I  wish  they  might  let  me  lie  there 
20 


306  BED   ROCK 

when  I  die,  but  I  know  they  will  not."  Her  gaze  was  out 
of  the  open  door.  In  the  silence  which  followed  her  words 
the  sound  of  a  horse's  hoofs  was  heard. 

"  There  is  someone  outside,  my  dear,"  she  said,  placidly. 
Both  Euth  and  Blair  looked  out. 

"  Why,  it  is  the  General,"  said  Blair,  and  Kuth  won- 
dered who  the  General  was,  and  wondered  yet  more  to  detect 
something  very  much  like  a  flutter  in  Miss  Thomasia's 
manner.  Her  hand  went  to  her  bonnet ;  to  her  throat ;  she 
smoothed  her  already  smooth  skirts,  and  glanced  around — 
ending  in  a  little  appealing  look  to  Blair.  It  was  almost  as 
if  a  white  dove,  represented  in  some  sacred  mystery,  had 
suddenly  lost  tranquillity.  When,  however,  the  new  visitor 
reached  the  door,  Miss  Thomasia  was  quietude  itself. 

He  stepped  up  to  the  door  and  gave  a  tap  with  the  butt 
of  his  riding-switch  before  he  was  aware  of  the  presence  of 
the  three  ladies  ;  then  he  took  off  his  hat. 

"Ladies,"  he  said,  with  quite  a  grand  bow.  At  the 
same  moment,  both  of  the  ladies  who  knew  him,  spoke, 
but  Ruth  heard  only  Miss  Thomasia's  words  : 

"  My  dear,  this  is  General  Legaie,  of  whom  you  have 
often  heard,  our  old  and  valued  friend."  Ruth  had  never 
heard  of  him,  but  she  was  struck  by  him.  He  was  rot 
over  five  feet  three  inches  high :  not  as  tall  by  several  inches 
as  Ruth  herself ;  but  his  head,  with  curling  white  hair, 
was  so  set  on  his  shoulders,  his  form  was  so  straight  and 
vigorous,  and  his  countenance,  with  its  blue  eyes  and  fine 
mouth,  so  handsome  and  self-contained,  that  Ruth  thought 
she  had  never  seen  a  more  martial  figure.  She  thought 
instinctively  of  a  portrait  she  had  once  seen  of  a  French 
Marshal ;  and  when  the  General  made  his  sweeping  bow 
and  addressed  her  with  his  placid  voice  in  old-fashioned 
phrase  as,  "  Madam,"  the  illusion  was  complete.  Why,  he 
was  absolutely  stately.  Then  he  addressed  Miss  Thomasia 
and  Blair,  making  each  of  them  a  bow  and  a  compliment 
with  such  an  old-fashioned  courtesy  that  Ruth  felt  as  if 
she  were  reading  a  novel. 


HIRAM   STILL   GETS   A   LEGAL   OPINION          307 

He  had  hoped  to  call  and  pay  his  respects  before,  he 
told  Ruth,  when  he  had  finished  his  greetings  ;  but  had 
been  unavoidably  delayed,  and  it  was  a  cause  of  sincere  re- 
gret that  Ire  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  miss  her  father. 
He  had  learned  of  his  absence  several  miles  below,  but  he 
would  not  delay  longer  paying  his  devoirs  to  her ;  so  had 
come  on.  "  And  you  see  the  triple  reward  I  receive,"  he 
said,  with  a  glance  which  included  -all  three  ladies,  and  a 
little  laugh  of  pleasantry  over  himself. 

"  See  what  an  adept  he  is/'  said  Blair :  "he  compli- 
ments us  all  in  one  breath." 

The  General  looked  at  Miss  Thomasia  as  if  he  were  go- 
ing to  speak  directly  to  her,  but  she  was  picking  up  a 
stitch,  so  he  shifted  his  glance  to  Blair,  and,  catching  her 
eye,  laughed  heartily. 

"  Well  ?    Why  didn't  you  say  it  ?  " 

Miss  Thomasia  knitted  placidly; 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  laughed  again,  and  changed 
his  bantering  tone. 

"Have  you  seen  Jacquelin?"  asked  Miss  Thomasia, 
who  had  calmly  ignored  the  preceding  conversation. 

"  Yes,  he's  all  right — he  came  back  yesterday  and  has 
gone  in  with  Steve  Allen.  They'll  get  along.  He's  just 
the  sort  of  man  Steve  needed  ;  he'll  be  his  heavy  artillery. 
He  is  looking  into  the  matter  of  the  foonds." 

Miss  Thomasia  sighed. 

"Two  young  gentlemen  of  the  County  who  are  great 
friends  of  ours,  Miss  Welch,"  explained  the  General. 

Meanwhile,  Major  Welch  and  Mr.  Still  had  reached  the 
county  seat.  During  their  ride,  Still  had  given  Major 
Welch  an  account  of  affairs  in  the  County,  and  of  most  of 
those  with  whom  he  would  come  in  contact.  Steve  Allen 
he  described  as  a  terrible  character.  It  had  been  a  dread- 
ful struggle  that  he  himself  and  other  Union  men  had  had 
to  wage,  he  said.  Leech  was  the  leading  Northern  man  in 
the  County,  and  was  going  to  be  Governor.  But  he  was 


308  RED   ROCK 

disposed  to  caution  Major  Welch  somewhat  against  even 
him.  Leech  did  not  exactly  understand  things  ;  he  did  not 
rely  enough  on  his  white  friends.  He  would  have  turned 
out  all  the  white  officials  and  filled  their  places  with 
negroes.  But  Still  had  insisted  on  keeping,  at  least,  Mi% 
Dockett,  the  Clerk,  in ;  because  he  had  charge  of  all  the 
records.  But  Mr.  Dockett  had  not  acted  exactly  right,  he 
said,  and  he  was  afraid  at  the  next  election  "  they'd  have 
to  let  him  go."  He  had  been  "  getting  mighty  unreason- 
able/' Some  people  wanted  his  son,  Wash,  the  Doctor,  to 
run,  but  he  "  didn't  know  about  it  ?  "  he  said,  with  an  in- 
terrogation in  his  voice. 

Major  Welch  had  supposed  that  the  Doctor  would  find 
his  profession  more  profitable,  or  at  least  that  it  would 
take  up  all  his  time  if  he  proposed  to  follow  it ;  but  Still 
explained  that  there  was  not  a  great  deal  of  practice,  and 
that  the  clerk's  place  was  a  < '  paying  office."" 

When  they  arrived  at  Leech's  house  Major  Welch  found 
it  a  big,  modern  affair  with  a  mansard  roof,  set  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  treeless  lot.  To  Major  Welch's  surprise,  Leech 
was  not  at  home.  Still  appeared  much  disconcerted. 

As  they  crossed  the  yard,  the  Major  observed  a  sign  over 
a  door  :  "  ALLEN  AND  GKAY.  LAW  OFFICE." 

"  If  necessary  we  could  secure  their  services,"  he  said, 
indicating  the  sign. 

Still  drew  up  to  his  side,  and  lowered  his  voice,  looking 
around  :  They  were  the  lawyers  he  had  told  him  of,  lie 
said.  That  was  "that  fellow  Allen,  the  leader  in  all  the 
trouble  that  went  on." 

"  Who's  Gray  ?  "  The  Major  was  still  scanning  the  sign. 

Still  gave  a  curious  little  laugh. 

"He's  the  one  as  used  to  own  my  place — Mr.  Gray's 
son.  He's  a  bad  one,  too.  He's  just  come  back  and  set 
up  as  a  lawyer.  Fact  is,  I  believe  he's  set  up  as  one,  more 
to  devil  me  than  anything  else." 

Major  Welch  said,  dryly,  that  he  did  not  see  why  his  set- 
ting up  as  a  lawyer  should  bedevil  him.  Still  hesitated. 


HIRAM   STILL   GETS   A   LEGAL   OPINION          309 

"  Well,  if  he  thinks  he  could  scare  me " 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  could  scare  you.  I  would  not  let 
him  scare  me/'  said  Major  Welch,  dryly. 

"  You  don't  know  'em,  Colonel/'  said  Still.  "  You  don't 
know  what  we  Union  men  have  had  to  go  through.  They 
won't  let  us  buy  land,  and  they  won't  let  us  sell  it.  They 
hate  you  because  you  come  from  the  North,  and  they  hate 
me  because  I  don'  hate  you.  I  tell  you  all  the  truth, 
Colonel,  and  you  don't  believe  it — but  you  don't  know  what 
we  go  through  down  here.  We've  got  to  stand  together. 
You'll  see."  The  man's  voice  was  so  earnest,  and  his  face  so 
sincere  that  Major  Welch  could  not  help  being  impressed. 

"Well,  I'll  show  him  and  everyone  else  pretty  quickly 
that  that  is  not  the  way  to  come  at  me,"  said  Major  Welch, 
gravely.  "  When  I  get  ready  to  buy,  I'll  buy  where  I  please, 
and  irrespective  of  anyone  else's  views  except  the  seller's." 
And  he  walked  up  to  the  door,  without  seeing  the  look  on 
Still's  face. 

The  only  occupants  of  the  clerk's  office  were  two  men  ;  one 
was  an  old  man,  evidently  the  clerk,  with  a  bushy  beard  and 
keen  eyes  gleaming  through  a  pair  of  silver  spectacles.  The 
other  was  a  young  man  and  a  very  handsome  one,  with  a 
broad  brow,  a  strongly  chiselled  chin/  and  a  very  grave  and 
somewhat  melancholy  face.  He  was  seated  in  a  chair  di- 
rectly facing  the  door,  examining  a  bundle  of  old  chancery 
papers  which  were  spread  out  on  his  knee  and  on  a  chair  be- 
side him,  and  as  the  visitors  entered  the  door  he  glanced  up. 
Major  Welch  was  struck  by  his  fine  eyes,  and  the  changed 
look  that  suddenly  came  into  them.  Still  gave  his  arm  a 
convulsive  clutch,  and  Major  Welch  knew  by  instinct  that 
this  was  the  man  of  whom  Still  had  just  spoken. 

If  Jacquelin  Gray  was  really  the  sort  of  man  Still  had 
described  him  to  be,  and  held  the  opinions  Still  had  attrib- 
uted to  him,  he  played  the  hypocrite  very  well,  for  he  not 
only  bowed  to  Major  Welch  very  civilly,  if  distantly,  but  to 
do  so  even  rose  from  his  seat  at  some  little  inconvenience 
to  himself,  as  he  had  to  gather  up  the  papers  spread  on  his 


310  RED   ROCK 

knee.  It  is  true  that  he  took  not  the  least  notice  of  Still, 
who  included  him  as  well  as  the  clerk  in  his  greeting,  the 
only  evidence  he  gave  of  being  aware  of  the  presence  of 
his  former  manager,  being  contained  in  a  certain  quiver  of 
the  nostrils,  as  Still  passed  him. 

Major  Welch  was  introduced  by  Still  to  the  clerk,  and 
stated  his  errand,  wondering  at  the  change  in  his  compan- 
ion's voice. 

"  He's  afraid  of  that  young  man,"  he  thought  to  himself, 
and  he  stiffened  a  little  as  the  idea  occurred  to  him  ;  and 
at  the  first  opportunity  he  glanced  again  at  Jacquelin,  who 
was  once  more  busy  with  his  bundle  of  papers,  in  which 
he  appeared  completely  absorbed.  Still  was  following  the 
clerk,  who,  with  his  spectacles  on  the  tip  of  his  long  nose, 
was  looking  into  the  files  of  his  deed-books ;  but  Major 
Welch  saw  that  Still  was  not  attending  to  him  ;  his  eyes 
were  turned  and  were  fastened  on  the  young  lawyer, 
quite  on  the  other  side  of  the  room.  As  the  Major  looked 
he  was  astonished  to  see  Still  start  and  put  out  his  hand 
as  though  to  support  himself.  Following  StilFs  gaze  he 
glanced  across  at  Jacquelin.  He  had  taken  several  long, 
narrow  slips  of  paper  out  of  the  bundle,  and  was  at  the  in- 
stant examining  them  curiously,  oblivious  of  everything 
else.  Major  Welch  looked  back  at  Still,  and  he  was  as 
white  as  a  ghost.  Before  he  could  take  it  in,  Still  muttered 
something  and  turned  to  the  door.  As  he  walked  out  he 
tottered  so  that  Major  Welch,  thinking  he  was  ill,  followed 
him. 

Outside,  the  air  revived  Still  somewhat,  and  a  drink  of 
whiskey  which  he  got  at  the  tavern  bar,  and  told  the  bar- 
keeper to  make  "  stiff,"  set  him  up  a  good  deal.  He  had 
been  feeling  badly  for  some  time,  he  said ;  thought  he 
was  a  little  bilious. 

Just  as  they  came  out  of  the  bar,  they  saw  young  Gray 
cross  the  court-green  and  go  over  to  his  office. 

They  returned  to  the  clerk's  office,  and  Major  Welch 
was  soon  running  through  the  deeds,  while  Still,  after  look- 


HIKAM   STILL  GETS   A   LEGAL   OPINION          311 

ing  over  his  shoulder  for  a  moment  or  two,  took  a  seat 
near  Mr.  Dockett  and  began  to  talk  to  him.  He  appeared 
much  interested  in  the  old  fellow,  his  family,  and  all  that 
belonged  to  him,  and  Major  Welch  was  a  little  amused  at 
the  old  man's  short  replies. 

His  attention  was  attracted  by  Still's  saying  casually  that 
he'd  like  to  see  the  papers  in  that  old  suit  of  his  against 
the  Gray  estate,  if  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  them,  and 
the  clerk's  dry  answer  that  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  any 
paper  in  the  office,  and  that  the  papers  in  question  were 
in  the  " ended-causes "  case.  "Mr.  Jacquelin  Gray  was 
just  looking  over  them  as  you  came  in,"  he  said,  as  he  rose 
to  get  them. 

"  Well,  let  him  look/'  Still  growled,  with  a  sudden 
change  of  tone.  ' '  He  can  look  all  he  wants,  and  he 
won't  git  around  them  bonds." 

"  Oh,  no  !  I  don't  say  as  he  will,"  the  old  officer  an- 
swered. 

"  I'd  like  to  take  'em  home  with  me — "  Still  began ;  but 
the  clerk  cut  him  short. 

"  I  can't  let  you  do  that.  You'Jl  have  to  look  at  'em 
here  in  the  office." 

"  Why,  they're  nothin*  but — I  want  Colonel  Welch  here 
to  look  at  'em — they'll  show  him  how  the  lands  come  to 
me — I'll  bring  'em  back " 

"  I  can't  let  you  take  'em  out  of  the  office."  His  tone 
was  as  dry  as  ever. 

•*«  Well,  I'd  like  to  know  why  not  ?  They  don't  con- 
cern nobody  but  me,  and  they're  all  ended." 

"  That's  the  very  reason  you  can't  take  'em  out ;  they're 
part  of  the  records  of  this  office " 

"  Well,  I  can  take  the  bonds  out,  anyway,"  Still  per- 
sisted ;  "they  is  mine,  anyhow." 

"No,  you  can't  take  them,  either." 

Still  did  not  often  lose  his  temper,  or  show  it,  if  he 
did  ;  but  this  time  he  lost  it. 

"  Well,  I'll  show  you  if  I  can't,  before  the  year  is  out, 


312  RED   ROOK 

Mr.  Dockett.  Til  show  you  who  I  am  ! "  He  rose  with 
much  feeling. 

"I  know  who  you  are."  The  old  fellow  turned  and 
shot  a  piercing  glance  at  him  over  his  spectacles,  and 
Major  Welch  watched  complacently  to  see  how  it  would 
end. 

"  Well,  if  you  don't,  I  mean  to  make  you  know  it.  I'll 
show  you  you  don't  own  this  County.  I'll  show  you  who 
is  the  bigger  man,  you  or  the  people  of  this  County.  You 
think  because  you  been  left  in  this  office  that  you  own  it ; 
but  I'll » 

"No,  I  don't,"  the  old  man  said,  firmly;  "I  know 
you've  got  negroes  enough  to  turn  me  out  if  you  choose  ; 
but  I  want  to  tell  you  that  until  you  do  I'm  in  charge 
here,  and  I  run  the  office  according  to  what  I  think  is  my 
duty,  and  the  only  way  to  change  it  is  to  turn  me  out.  Do 
you  want  to  see  the  papers  or  not  ?  You  can  look  at  'em 
here  just  as  everybody  else  does." 

"  That's  right,"  said  Major  Welch,  meaning  to  explain 
that  it  was  the  law.  Still  took  it  in  a  different  sense, 
however,  and  quieted  down.  He  would  look  at  them,  he 
said,  sulkily,  and,  taking  the  bundle,  he  picked  out  the 
same  slips  which  young  Gray  had  been  examining. 

"You're  so  particular  about  your  old  papers,"  he  said, 
as  he  held  up  one  of  the  slips,  "  I  wonder  you  don't  keep 
'em  a  little  better.  You  got  a  whole  lot  o'  red  ink 
smeared  on  this  bond." 

"  I  didn't  get  it  on  it."  The  clerk  got  up  and  walked 
across  the  room  to  look  at  the,  paper  indicated,  adjusting 
his  spectacles  as  he  did  so.  One  glance  sufficed  for  him. 

"  That  ain't  ink,  and  if  'tis,  it  didn't  get  on  it  in  this 
office.  That  stain  was  on  that  bond  when  Leech  filed  it. 
I  remember  it  particularly." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that — I  know  it  wa'n't 
on  it  when  I  give  it  to  him,  and  I  don't  remember  of  ever 
having  seen  it  before,"  Still  persisted. 

"  Well,  I  remember  it  well — I  remember  speaking  of  it 


HIEAM  STILL  GETS  A  LEGAL  OPINION         813 

to  him,  because  we  thought  'twas  finger-marks,  and  he  said 
'twas  on  it  when  you  gave  it  to  him/' 

"Well,  I  know  'twant/'  Still  repeated,  hotly.  "It 
'twas  on  thar  when  he  brought  it  here  he  got 't  on  it  him- 
self, and  I'll  take  my  oath  to  it.  Well,  that  don't  make 
any  difference  in  the  bond,  I  s'pose  ?  It's  just  as  good  with 
that  on  it  as  if  'twant  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes;  that's  so,"  said  Mr.  Dockett.  "If  it's  all 
right  every  other  way,  that  won't  hurt  it." 

Still  looked  at  him  sharply. 

As  they  drove  home,  Still,  after  a  long  period  of  silence, 
suddenly  asked  Major  Welch,  within  what  time  after  a  case 
was  ended  a  man  could  bring  a  suit  to  upset  it. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  what  the  statutes  of  this  State  are, 
but  he  can  generally  bring  it  without  limit,  on  the  ground 
of  fraud,"  said  the  Major,  "unless  he  is  estopped  by 
laches." 

"  What's  that  ?  "  asked  Still,  somewhat  huskily,  and  the 
Major  started  to  explain ;  but  Still  was  taken  with  another 
of  his  ill  turns. 

That  same  afternoon,  a  little  before  Major  Welch's  re- 
turn, Euth  was  walking  about  the  yard,  looking,  every 
now  and  then,  across  the  hill,  in  the  direction  of  Red  Rock, 
from  which  her  father  should  soon  be  coming,  when,  as 
she  passed  near  a  cherry-tree,  she  observed  that  some  of 
the  fruit  was  already  ripe.  One  or  two  branches  were  not 
very  high.  She  had  been  feeling  a  little  lonely,  and  it 
occurred  to  her  that  it  would  be  great  fun  to  climb  the 
tree.  She  had  once  been  a  good  climber,  and  she  remem- 
bered the  scoldings  she  had  received  for  it  from  her 
mother,  who  regarded  it  as  "  essentially  frivolous/'  and 
had  once,  as  a  punishment,  set  her  to  learn  all  the  names 
of  all  the  brandies  of  a  tree  which  hung  on  the  nursery 
wall,  and  represented,  allegorically,  all  the  virtues  and 
vices,  together  with  a  perfect  network  of  subsidiary  quali- 
ties. She  could  remember  many  of  them  now — "  Faith, 
Hope,  Temperance,"  and  so  on. 


314  RED   KOCK 

"  Dear  mamma/'  she  thought,  with  a  pang  of  homesick- 
ness, "I  wish  she  were  here  now."  This  reflection  only 
made  her  more  lonely,  and  to  overcome  the  feeling  she 
turned  to  the  more  material  and  attractive  tree. 

"I  could  climb  that  tree  easily  enough/'  she  said,  "  and 
there's  no  one  to  know  anything  about  it.  Even  mamma 
would  not  mind  that  much.  Besides,  I  could  see  papa 
from  a  greater  distance  and  Fll  get  him  some  cherries  for 
his  tea." 

These  last  two  considerations  were  sufficient  to  counter- 
balance the  idea  of  maternal  disapproval.  So  Ruth  turned 
up  the  skirt  of  her  dress,  pinned  it  so  that  it  would  not 
be  stained,  and  five  minutes  later  was  scrambling  up  the 
tree.  Higher  and  higher  she  went  up,  feeling  the  old 
exhilaration  of  childhood  as  she  climbed.  What  a  fine 
view  there  was  from  her  perch  !  the  rolling  hills,  the  green 
low-grounds,  the  winding  river,  the  blue  mountains  be- 
hind and,  away  to  the  eastward,  the  level  of  the  tide- water 
country  almost  as  blue  at  the  horizon  as  the  mountains 
to  the  westward.  How  still  it  was  too  !  Every  sound 
was  distinct :  the  lowing  of  a  cow  far  away  toward  Red 
Rock,  the  notes  of  a  thrush  in  a  thicket,  and  the  chirp 
of  a  sparrow  in  an  old  tree.  Ruth  wished  she  could  have 
described  it  as  she  saw  it,  or,  rather,  as  she  felt  it,  for  it 
was  more  feeling  than  seeing,  she  thought.  But  the  best 
cherries  were  out  toward  the  ends  of  the  limbs,  so  she  se- 
cured a  safe  position  and  set  to  work,  gathering  them.  She 
was  so  engrossed  in  this  occupation  that  she  forgot  every- 
thing else  until  she  heard  the  trampling  of  a  horse's  feet 
somewhere.  It  was  quite  in  a  different  direction  from 
that  in  which  she  expected  her  father,  but  supposing  that 
it  was  he,  Ruth  gave  a  little  yodel,  with  which  she  often 
greeted  him  when  at  a  distance,  and  climbed  out  on  a 
limb  that  she  might  look  down  and  see  him.  How  aston- 
ished and  amused  he  would  be,  she  thought.  Yes,  there 
he  was,  coming  around  the  slope  just  below  her,  but  how 
was  he  going  to  get  across  the  ditch  ?  If  only  that  bough 


HIKAM   STILL  GETS  A  LEGAL  OPINION          315 

were  not  in  the  way  !  Ah  !  now  she  had  the  bough  and 
could  pull  it  aside.  Heavens  !  it  was  a  stranger,  and  he 
was  near  enough  for  her  to  see  that  he  was  a  young  man. 
What  should  she  do  ?  Suppose  he  should  have  heard  her  ! 
At  the  moment  she  looked  he  was  putting  his  horse  at  the 
ditch — a  splendid  jump  it  was.  She  let  the  bough  go  and 
edged  in  toward  the  body  of  the  tree,  listening  and  half 
seeing  the  rider  below  through  the  leaves  as  he  galloped 
np  into  the  yard.  Perhaps  he  had  not  seen  her  ?  She 
crouched  down.  It  was  a  vain  hope,  for  the  next  instant 
he  turned  his  horse's  head  toward  the  tree  and  drew  him 
in  almost  under  her. 

"  I  say — Is  anyone  at  home  ? "  he  asked.  The  voice 
was  a  very  deep  and  pleasant  one.  Although  Ruth  was 
sure  he  was  speaking  to  her,  she  did  not  answer. 

"  I  say,  little  girl,  are  Colonel  Welch  and  his  daughter 
at  home?" 

This  time  he  looked  up.  So  Ruth  answered.  No,  they 
were  not  at  home.  Her  voice  sounded  curiously  quavering. 

"Ah!  Fm  very  sorry.  When  will  they  be  at  home  ? 
Can  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"Ah  !  ur — not  exactly,"  quavered  Ruth,  crouching  still 
closer  to  the  tree-trunk  and  gathering  in  her  skirts. 

"  You  have  some  fine  cherries  up  there  1 " 

Oh,  heavens  !  why  didn't  he  go  away  ! 

To  this  she  made  no  answer,  hoping  he  would  go.  He 
caught  hold  of  a  bough,  she  thought,  to  pull  some  cherries  ; 
wrapped  his  reins  around  it,  and  the  next  moment  stood 
up  in  his  saddle,  seized  a  limb  above  him  and  swung  him- 
self up.  In  her  astonishment  Ruth  almost  stopped  breath- 
ing. 

"  I  believe  Fll  try  a  few — for  old  times'  sake,"  he  said 
to  himself,  or  to  her,  she  could  not  tell  which,  and  swung 
himself  higher.  "  I  don't  suppose  Colonel  Welch  would 
object." 

The  next  swing  brought  him  up  to  the  limb  immediately 
below  Ruth,  and  he  turned  and  looked  up  at  her  where  she 


316  KED   ROCK 

sat  in  the  fork  of  the  limb.  Her  face  had  been  burning  ever 
since  she  had  been  discovered,  and  was  burning  now  ;  but 
she  could  not  help  being  amused  at  the  expression  which 
came  into  the  stranger's  eyes  as  he  looked  at  her.  Aston- 
ishment, chagrin,  and  amusement  were  all  stamped  there, 
mingled  together. 

"  What  on  earth  ! — I  beg  your  pardon — "  he  began,  his 
eyes  wide  open  with  surprise,  gazing  straight  into  hers. 
The  next  instant  he  burst  out  laughing,  a  peal  so  full  of 
real  mirth  that  Ruth  joined  in  and  laughed  with  all  her 
might  too. 

"  I'm  Captain  Allen,  Steve  Allen — and  you  are ?  " 

"Miss  Welch — when  Fm  at  home." 

He  pulled  himself  up  to  the  limb  on  which  Ruth  sat  and 
coolly  seated  himself  near  her. 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  at  home — Miss  Welch  ;  for  I  am. 
I  used  to  be  very  much  at  home  in  this  tree  in  old  times, 
which  is  my  excuse  for  being  here  now,  though  I  confess 
I  never  found  quite  such  fruit  on  it  as  it  seems  to  bear 
to-day." 

The  twinkle  in  his  gray  eyes  and  a  something  in  his 
lazy  voice  reminded  Ruth  of  Reely  Thurston.  The  last 
part  of  his  speech  to  her  sounded  partly  as  if  he  meant  it, 
but  partly  as  if  he  were  half  poking  fun  at  her  and  wished 
to  see  how  she  would  take  it.  She  tried  to  meet  him  on 
his  own  ground. 

"  If  you  had  not  made  yourself  somewhat  at  home  you 
would  not  have  found  it  now."  She  was  very  demure. 

Steve  lifted  his  eyes  to  her  quickly,  and  she  was  rather 
nettled  to  see  that  he  looked  much  amused  at  her  speech. 

"Exactly.  You  would  not  have  had  me  act  otherwise, 
I  hope  ?  We  always  wish  our  guests  to  make  themselves 
at  home.  You  Yankees  don't  want  to  be  behind  us." 

She  saw  his  eyes  twinkle,  and1  felt  that  he  had  said  it  to 
draw  her  fire,  but  she  could  not  forbear  firing  back. 

"  No,  but  sometimes  it  does  not  seem  necessary,  as  you 
Rebels  appear  inclined  to  make  yourselves  at  home — some- 


HIKAM   STILL  GETS   A   LEGAL   OPINION          317 

times  even  without  an  invitation."  Her  chin  went  up  a 
point. 

Steve  burst  out  laughing. 

"  A  good  square  shot.     I  surrender,  Miss  Welch." 

"  What  !  so  easily  ?  I  thought  you  Rebels  were  better 
fighters  ?  I  have  heard  so." 

Steve  only  laughed. 

" ( He  that  fights  and  runs  away/  you  know.  I  can't 
run,  so  I  surrender.  May  I  get  you  some  cherries  ?  The 
best  are  out  on  the  end  of  the  limbs,  and  I  am  afraid  you 
might  fall."  His  voice  had  lost  the  tone  of  badinage  and 
was  full  of  deference  and  protection. 

Ruth  said  she  believed  that  she  had  all  the  cherries  she 
wanted.  She  had,  perhaps,  a  dozen — .  She  was  wondering 
how  she  should  get  down,  and  was  in  a  panic  lest  her  father 
should  appear  and  find  her  up  in  the  tree  with  this  strange 
young  man. 

In  reply  to  her  refusal,  however,  Steve  looked  at  her 
quizzically. 

"  You  want  to  get  down."  This  in  assertion  rather 
than  in  question. 

"  Yes."    Defiantly. 

"And  you  can't  get  down  unless  I  let  you  ?  " 

"  N — n —  "  She  caught  herself  quickly,  "  I  thought  you 
had  surrendered  ?  " 

"  Can't  a  prisoner  capture  his  captor  ?  " 

"  Not  if  he  has  given  his  parole  and  is  a  gentleman.'* 

Steve  whistled  softly.     His  eyes  never  left  her  face. 

"  Will  you  invite  me  in  H  " 

"  No." 

"Why?" 

"  Because " 

"  I  see."  Steve  nodded. 

"  Because  my  father  is  not  at  home." 

"  Oh !  All  the  more  reason  for  your  having  a  pro- 
tector." 

"  No.     And  I  will  make  no  terms  with  a  prisoner." 


818  KED   BOOK 

With  a  laugh  Steve  let  himself  down  to  the  lirab  below, 
Then  he  stopped  and  turning  looked  up  at  her. 

"  May  I  help  you  down  ?  "  The  tone  was  almost  hum- 
ble. 

"No,  I  thank  you,  I  can  get  down/'    Very  firmly. 

"  I  must  order  your  father  to  remain  at  home,"  he 
smiled. 

"  My  father  is  not  one  to  take  orders ;  he  gives  them/' 
she  said,  proudly. 

Captain  Allen  looked  up  at  her,  the  expression  of  admi- 
ration in  his  eyes  deepened.  "  I  think  it  likely/'  he  said 
with  a  nod.  "Well,  I  don't  always  take  them  so  meekly 
myself.  Good-by.  Do  you  require  your  prisoner  to  re- 
port at  all  ?"  He  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Good-by— I— don't  know  :  No." 

He  smiled  up  at  her.  "  You  don't  know  all  your  privi- 
leges. Good-by.  I  always  heard  you  Yankees  were  cruel 
to  prisoners." 

It  was  said  in  such  a  way  that  Ruth  did  not  mind  it,  and 
did  not  even  wish  to  fire  back.  The  next  minute  Steve  was 
on  his  horse,  cantering  away  without  looking  back,  and 
curiously,  Ruth,  still  seated  on  her  leafy  perch,  was  con- 
scious of  a  feeling  of  blankness. 

"  I  hate  that  man,"  she  said  to  herself,  te  he  has  been 
doing  nothing  but  make  fun  of  me.  But  he  is  amusing — 
and  awfully  handsome.  And  what  a  splendid  rider  !  I 
wonder  if  he  will  Lave  the  audacity  to  come  back  ?  " 

As  she  reached  the  ground  she  saw  her  father  far  across 
the  field,  coming  up  the  same  road  along  which  her  visitor 
was  going  away.  When  the  two  men  met  they  stopped  and 
had  a  little  talk,  during  which  Ruth  watched  with  curiosity 
to  see  if  Captain  Allen  would  return.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever. It  was  only  a  moment  and  then  he  cantered  on, 
leaving  Ruth  with  a  half  disappointed  feeling,  and  wonder- 
ing if  he  had  told  her  father  of  their  meeting. 

When  Major  Welch  arrived,  Ruth  waited  with  some  im- 
patience to  discover  if  he  had  been  told.  He  mentioned 


HIBAM  STILL  GETS  A   LEGAL  OPIttlOtt 

that  he  had  met  Mr.  Allen  and  thought  him  a  striking- 
looking  and  rather  nice  fellow  ;  had  invited  him  to  re- 
turn, but  he  said  he  could  not,  that  he  had  seen  her,  and 
would  call  again. 

"  He  is  a  gentlemanly  fellow,  but  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
most  uncontrolled  men  about  here,  the  leader  in  all  the 
lawlessness  that  goes  on." 

Ruth  thought  of  what  the  old  mammy  at  Dr.  Gary's  had 
told  her.  She  wished  to  change  the  subject. 

"  Did  he  say  where  we  met  ?  "  she  asked,  laughing  and 
blushing. 

"  No,  only  said  he  had  met  you." 

te  He  caught  me  up  in  a  cherry-tree." 

«  What !  Well,  he's  a  nice  fellow,"  said  her  father,  and 
Ruth  had  begun  to  think  so  too. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

MRS.    WELCH   ARRIVES  AND   GIVES   HER   FIRST   LESSON   IN 
ENTERPRISE 

THE  next  day,  Still  called  to  see  Major  Welch  and  made 
him  a  proposition  to  sell  him  a  part  of  the  Ked  Rock 
place.  On  thinking  it  over,  he  said,  he  believed  he'd 
rather  have  the  Major  as  a  near  neighbor  than  to  have  him 
farther  off,  and  he  also  believed  that  the  Major  would  find 
it  safer  to  buy  from  him  a  place  he  had  got  under  decree 
of  court,  and  had  already  held  quietly  for  some  time,  than 
to  buy  a  place  about  which  there  might  be  a  question  and 
where  he'd  be  sure  to  incur  the  enmity  of  the  old  owners. 

This  reason,  to  judge  from  Major  Welch's  expression, 
did  not  make  much  impression  on  him.  He  did  not  wish 
to  incur  anyone's  enmity,  he  said.  But  if  he  bought  hon- 
estly, and  became  the  lawful  owner  of  a  place,  he  should 
not  mind  what  others  thought. 

Still  shook  his  head.  Major  Welch  did  not  know  these 
people,  he  said.  "  And  to  be  honest  with  you,  Major,  I 
feel  as  if  having  you  right  here  by  me  was  a  sort  of  protec- 
tion. They  daresn't  touch  a  gentleman  who's  been  in  the 
Union  army,  and  who's  got  big  friends.  And  that's  one 
reason  I'd  like  to  have  you  right  close  to  me." 

His  manner  had  something  so  sincere  in  it  that  it  was 
almost  pathetic.  So,  as  he  made  Major  Welch  what  ap- 
peared to  be  really  a  very  reasonable  proposal,  not  only  as  to 
the  Stamper  place,  but  also  as  to  several  hundred  acres  of 
the  Red  Rock  land  adjoining,  the  Major  agreed  to  take  it 
under  advisement,  and  intimated  that  if  the  title  should 

320 


MRS.   WELCH  ARRIVES  321 

prove  all  right,  and  Mrs.  Welch  should  like  the  idea  when 
she  arrived  he  would  probably  purchase. 

Within  a  week  or  two  following  Major  Welch's  trip  to 
the  county  seat,  and  Still's  offer  to  sell  him  the  Stamper 
place  and  a  part  of  Eed  Kock,  Mrs.  Welch  arrived.  Mrs. 
Welch,  in  her  impatience,  could  not  wait  for  the  day  she 
had  set  and  arrived  before  she  was  expected.  The  telegram 
she  had  sent  had  miscarried,  and  when  she  reached  the 
station  there  was  no  one  present  to  meet  her. 

A  country  station  is  a  sad  place  at  best  to  one  who  has 
just  left  the  bustle  and  life  of  a  city  ;  but  to  be  deposited, 
bag  and  baggage,  in  a  strange  land  and  left  alone  without 
anyone  to  meet  you,  and  without  knowing  a  soul,  is  forlorn 
to  the  last  degree. 

Strong  as  she  was,  Mrs.  Welch,  when  the  train  whirled 
away  and  no  one  came  to  her,  felt  a  sense  of  her  isola- 
tion strike  her  to  the  heart.  A  two-horse  carriage,  the 
only  one  in  sight,  stood  near  a  fence  at  some  little  dis- 
tance, and  for  a  short  while  she  thought  it  might  have  come 
for  her,  and  she  waited  for  some  moments  ;  but  presently 
a  tall  colored  man  and  a  colored  woman  got  into  it.  The 
man  was  glittering  with  a  shining  silk-hat  and  a  long  broad- 
cloth coat ;  and  the  woman  was  in  a  brand-new  silk,  and 
wore  a  vivid  bonnet.  Even  then,  it  occurred  to  Mrs.  Welch 
that,  perhaps,  the  man  was  the  coachman,  and,  for  a  mo- 
ment, she  was  buoyed  by  hope,  but  she  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. The  man  was  talking  loudly,  and  appar- 
ently talked  to  be  heard  by  all  around  him.  Mrs.  Welch 
could  hear  something  of  what  he  said. 

"  We're  all  right.  We've  got  'em  down,  and  we  mean 

to  keep  'em  down,  too,  by ! "  A  shout  followed  this. 

"  Yes,  the  bottom  rail  is  on  top,  and  we  mean  to  keep  it 

so  till  the  fence  rots  down,  by  ! "  Another  burst 

of  laughter.  "  You  jest  stick  to  me  and  Leech,  and  we'll 
bring  you  to  the  promised  land.  Yas,  we're  in  the  saddle, 
and  we  mean  to  stay  there.  We've  got  the  Gov'ment  be- 
hind us,  and  we'll  put  a  gun  in  every  colored  man's  hand 
21 


RED   KOCK 

and  give  him,  not  a  mule,  but  a  horse  to  ride,  and  we'll 
dress  his  wife  in  silk  and  give  her  a  carriage  to  ride 
in,  same's  my  wife's  got." 

"  Ummh  !  heah  dat !  Yes,  Lord  !  Dat's  what  I  want," 
cried  an  old  woman,  jumping  up  and  down  in  her  ecstasy, 
to  the  amusement  of  the  others. 

"  A  mule's  good  'nough  for  me — I  b'lieve  I  ruther  have 
mule  'n  hoss,  I'se  fetched  up  wid  mules,"  called  out  some- 
one, which  raised  a  great  laugh,  and  some  discussion. 

"  Well,  all  right ;  you  shall  have  your  ruther.  Every- 
one shall  take  his  pick.  We'll  do  the  ridin'  now." 

Mrs.  Welch  was  listening  with  keen  interest.  The 
speaker,  wlio  was  Nicholas  Ash,  the  member  from  Red 
Rock,  gathered  up  the  reins.  As  he  did  so,  someone 
called  : 

"  You  better  watch  out  for  de  K.  K.'s,"  at  which  there 
was  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"  They's  the  one's  I'm  lookin'  for.  I'm  just  fixed  for 
'em,  by ! "  shouted  the  statesman. 

"  Dee  ain'  gwine  meddle  wid  him,"  said  someone  in 
the  crowd,  admiringly. 

"  Don'  know.  I  wouldn'  drive  roun'  heah  and  talk 
'bout  'um  like  he  does,  not  for  dat  mule  he  gwine  gi'  me." 
The  laughter  that  greeted  this  showed  that  others  besides 
the  speaker  held  the  same  views. 

As  the  carriage  drove  off,  Mrs.  Welch's  heart  sank. 
Her  last  hope  was  gone.  She  was  relieved  somewhat  by 
the  approach  of  the  station-agent,  who  up  to  that  time 
had  been  engaged  about  his  duties,  and  who  now,  seeing 
a  lady  standing  outside,  came  up  to  her.  Mrs.  Welch 
told  who  she  was.  He  had  heard  that  Mrs.  Welch  was 
expected,  but  did  not  know  the  day.  No  telegrams,  such 
as  she  spoke  of,  had  passed  through  his  office,  and  it  was 
an  all-day's  ride  up  to  Red  Rock  when  the  roads  were  bad. 
He  invited  her  to  remain  as  his  guest.  "  People  right  often 
did  so  when  they  came,  unexpected-like." 

Mrs.  Welch  thanked  him,  but  thought  she  would  prefer 


MRS.    WELCH  ARRIVES  323 

to  go  on,  if  she  could  get  a  conveyance,  even  if  she  could 
go  that  night  only  as  far  as  Brutusville. 

"  Can't  I  get  some  sort  of  wagon  ?"  she  inquired. 

The  agent  gazed  at  her  with  a  serenity  that  was  in  strong 
contrast  with  her  growing  decisiveness.  He  did  not  know 
as  she  could,  the  mail-wagon  went  over  in  the  morning 
after  the  early  train  ;  people  generally  went  by  that. 
Dill  Herrick  had  a  sort  of  a  wagon,  and  folks  sometimes 
took  it  if  they  got  there  too  late  for  the  mail-wagon  and 
were  in  too  big  a  hurry  to  wait  till  next  day.  But  Dill 
was  away  that  day.  The  wagon  was  there,  but  Dill  had 
gone  away  on  his  horse  and  would  not  be  back  till  next 
day. 

All  this  was  told  in  the  most  matter-of-fact  way,  as  if 
it  was  quite  as  much  a  thing  of  course  as  any  other  order 
of  nature.  Mrs.  Welch  was  on  her  metal.  She  would 
for  once  give  this  sleepy  rustic  an  illustration  of  energy ; 
she  would  open  his  eyes. 

' '  Well,  is  that  the  only  horse  anywhere  about  here  ? " 
Her  tone  was  energetic,  perhaps  even  exasperated.  The 
agent  was  unmoved. 

"  No'm ;  Al  Turley's  got  a  sort  of  a  horse,  but  he  don't 
work  very  well.  And  Al  ain't  got  any  wagon/' 

This  was  too  much  for  Mrs.  Welch. 

"  Don't  you  think  we  might  get  a  horse  of  one  man 
and  the  wagon  and  harness  of  the  other,  and  put  them 
together  ?  "  she  laughed. 

The  agent  was  not  so  sure.  Al  might  be  going  to  use 
his  horse,  and  he  "  didn't  work  so  well,  anyhow." 

"  But  he  does  work  ?"  Mrs.  Welch  persisted. 

"  Oh,  yes'm — some.     Al  plougns  with  him." 

"  Well,  now,  let's  see  what  a  little  enterprise  will  do. 
I'll  pay  well  for  both  horse  and  wagon." 

The  agent  went  off,  and  after  a  time  came  back.  Al 
would  see  what  he  could  do.  But  again  he  renewed  his 
invitation  to  her  to  wait  until  to-morrow.  He  was  almost 
urgent ;  he  painted  the  difficulties  of  the  journey  in  the 


324  RED   ROCK 

gloomiest  colors.  Mrs.  Welch  now,  however,  had  set  her 
mind  on  carrying  out  her  plans.  It  had  become  a  matter 
of  principle  with  her.  She  had  come  down  here  10  snow 
what  energy  would  accomplish,  and  she  might  as  well 
begin  now. 

While  she  waited,  she  passed  her  time  watching  the  ne- 
groes who  were  congregated  about  a  small  building  which 
seemed  to  be  part  store,  part  bar-room,  though  from  her 
observation  the  latter  was  its  principal  office. 

They  were  a  loud  and  slovenly  set,  but  appeared  to  be 
good-humored,  and  rather  like  children  engaged  in  rough 
horse-play ;  and  when  their  voices  sounded  most  like  quar- 
relling they  would  suddenly  break  out  in  loud  guffaws  of 
laughter. 

They  were  so  boisterous  at  times  that  Mrs.  Welch  was 
glad  when  the  station-agent  returned  and  asked  if  she 
wouldn't  go  over  and  sit  in  his  house  till  Al  came.  She 
would  have  done  so,  but,  as  he  evidently  intended  to 
remain  in  the  office,  she  thought  it  would  be  a  good  oppor- 
tunity to  learn 'something  about  the  negroes,  and  perhaps 
also  to  teach  him  a  little  on  her  part. 

Were  the  negroes  not  improving  ?  she  asked.  Her 
companion's  whole  manner  changed.  She  was  surprised  to 
see  what  a  keen  glance  was  suddenly  shot  at  her  from  un- 
der his  light  brows. 

"Not  as  I  can  see — You  can  see  'em  yonder  for  yourself." 

"  Do  they  ever  give  you  trouble  ? 9t 

"  Me  ? — No'm ;  don't  never  give  me  trouble,"  he  an- 
swered, negligently.  "  Don'  give  nobody  as  much  trouble 
as  they  did." 

Mrs.  Welch  was  just  thinking  this  corroborative  of  her 
own  views  when  he,  with  his  back  to  her,  stooped  for 
something,  and  the  butt  of  a  pistol  gleamed  in  his  trousers 
pocket.  Mrs.  Welch  froze  up.  She  could  hardly  refrain 
from  speaking  of  it.  She  understood  now  the  signifi- 
cance of  his  speech.  Just  then  there  was  quite  a  roar 
outside,  followed  by  the  rattle  of  wheels,  and  the  next  in- 


MKS.   WELCH  ARRIVES  325 

stant  Mrs.  Welch's  vehicle  drew  up  to  the  door.  For  a 
moment  Mrs.  Welch's  heart  failed  her,  and  she  regretted 
the  enterprise  which  had  committed  her  to  such  a  combi- 
nation. In  the  shafts  of  a  rickety  little  wagon  —  the 
wheels  of  which  wobbled  in  every  direction  and  made 
four  distinct  tracks  —  was  a  rickety  little  yellow  horse 
which  at  that  moment,  to  the  great  diversion  of  the  crowd 
of-  negroes  outside,  was  apparently  attempting  to  back 
the  wagon  through  a  fence.  One  instant  he  sat  down  in 
the  shafts,  and  the  next  reared  and  plunged  and  tried  to 
go  any  way  but  the  right  way.  Two  negroes  were  holding 
on  to  him  while  the  others  were  shouting  with  laughter 
and  delight.  The  driver  was  a  spare,  dingy-looking 
countryman  past  middle  age,  and  was  sitting  in  the  wagon, 
the  only  creature  in  sight  that  appeared  to  be  unmoved  by 
the  excitement.  Mrs.  Welch's  heart  sank,  and  even  after 
the  plunging  little  animal  was  quieted  she  would  have  de- 
clined to  go ;  but  it  was  too  late  now.  She  had  never  put 
her  hand  to  the  plough  and  turned  back. 

"  I  can  manage  him/'  said  the  driver  serenely,  seeing 
her  hesitation.  And  as  there  were  many  assurances  that 
he  was  "all  right  now,"  and  everyone  was  expecting  her 
to  get  in,  she  summoned  the  courage  and  climbed  in. 

It  was  a  wearying  drive.  The  roads  were  the  worst 
Mrs.  Welch  had  ever  seen,  but,  in  one  way,  there  was  ex- 
citement enough.  The  tedium  was  relieved  by  the  occa- 
sional breaking  of  the  harness  and  the  frequent  necessity 
of  dismounting  to  walk  up  the  hill  when  the  horse  balked. 

The  day  before  had  been  very  warm,  and  Mrs.  Welch's 
journey  had  not  been  a  comfortable  one,  and  this  last 
catastrophe  capped  the  climax.  But  she  did  not  com- 
plain— she  considered  querulousness  a  sin — it  was  a  sign 
of  weakness.  Perhaps,  she  even  found  a  certain  satisfac- 
tion in  her  discomfort.  She  had  not  come  for  comfort. 
But  when  the  harness  broke  for  the  half-dozenth  time,  she 
asked  : 

"  Why  don't  you  keep  your  harness  in  good  order  ?  " 


326  BED   ROCK 

The  somewhat  apathetic  look  in  the  driver's  face 
changed. 

"'Tain't  my  harness." 

"  Well,  whosever  it  is,  why  don't  he  keep  it  in  order  ?  " 

"  You'll  have  to  ask  Dill  that,"  he  said,  dryly. 

When,  a  few  minutes  later,  they  came  to  their  next  stand 
she  began  again  : 

"  Why  don't  you  keep  your  roads  repaired  and  rebuild 
your  fences  ?  " 

"  I  don't  live  about  here."  This  time  the  tone  was  a 
little  shorter. 

"Well,  it's  the  same  all  the  way.  It's  been  just  as  bad 
from  the  start.  What  is  the  reason  ?"  she  persisted. 

"Indeed,  ma'am  I  don't  know,"  he  drawled,  "some 
says  it's  the  Yankee  carpet-baggers  steals  all  the  money — " 

"  Well,  I  don't  believe  it — I  believe  it's  that  the  people 
are  just  shiftless,"  Mrs.  Welch  fired  back. 

The  man,  for  answer,  only  jerked  his  horse  :  "  Git 
up!" 

"  A  dull  fellow,"  thought  Mrs.  Welch,  and  presently 
she  essayed  again  : 

"The  Yankees  are  thrifty  enough.  In  all  the  North 
there  is  not  such  a  road  as  this.  I  wish  you  could  see 
their  villages,  how  snug  and  trig  and  shipshape  they  are: 
houses  painted,  fences  kept  up,  everything  nice  and  neat." 

"  Maybe,  that's  where  they  puts  the  money  they  steals 
down  here,"  said  the  driver,  more  dryly  than  before. 

Mrs.  Welch  grew  hot,  but  she  could  not  help  being 
amused  too. 

"  It  must  be  an  accident,  but  I'll  write  that  home," 
thought  she.  She,  however,  had  not  much  time  to  think. 
For  just  then  they  were  descending  a  steep  hill  and  the 
breeching  gave  way,  the  wagon  ran  down  on  the  horse,  and, 
without  a  second's  warning,  the  little  steed,  like  the  Gad- 
arine  swine,  ran  violently  down  the  steep  hill,  and  on  up 
the  road.  The  driver,  who  was  swinging  to  him  for  life, 
was  in  the  act  of  assuring  Mrs.  Welch  that  she  need  not  be 


MRS.   WELCH  ARRIVES  327 

scared  as  he  could  hold  him,  when  the  rein  broke  and  he 
went  out  suddenly  backward  over  the  wheel,  and  Mrs. 
Welch  herself  must  soon  have  followed  him,  had  not  a 
horseman  unexpectedly  dashed  up  from  behind  and,  spur- 
ring his  fleet  horse  beside  the  tearing  little  beast  in  the 
wagon,  seized  the  runaway  by  the  bridle  and  brought  it  to 
a  stand-still. 

The  transition  from  the  expectation  of  immediate  in- 
jury, if  not  death,  to  absolute  security  is  itself  a  shock, 
and  even  after  the  vehicle  was  quite  still,  Mrs.  Welch,  who 
had  been  holding  on  to  its  sides  with  all  her  might,  could 
hardly  realize  her  escape.  Her  first  thought  was  for  the 
driver. 

"  Oh  !  I'm  afraid  that  poor  man  is  killed  ! "  she  ex- 
claimed. 

"  Oh  !  he's  all  right.  I  hope  you  are  not  hurt,  ma- 
dam?" said  her  rescuer,  solicitously.  "I  think  Fd  bet- 
ter hold  the  horse,  or  I  would  come  and  take  you  out." 

Mrs.  Welch  assured  him  that  she  was  not  at  all  hurt, 
and  she  sprang  out  and  declared  that  she  would  go  back  at 
once  and  look  after  the  driver.  Just  then,  however,  the 
driver  appeared,  covered  with  dust,  but  not  otherwise 
injured. 

"  Well,  I  was  just  savin'  I'd  saved  Al,  anyhow,"  he  said 
as  he  came  up.  "  And  I'm  glad  to  find,  Cap'n,  you  saved 
the  others." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  now?"  Mrs.  Welch  asked 
when  the  driver  had  finished  talking  to  the  gentleman,  and 
begun  to  work  at  the  harness. 

"  I'm  going  to  take  you  to  the  Cote-house.  I  told  you 
I'd  do  it." 

"Behind  that  horse!" 

"Ain't  nothin'  the  matter  with  the  hoss — it's  the  gear." 

"  I  think  I'd  better  take  her,"  the  young  man  who  had 
rescued  her  said,  though  with  a  little  hesitation.  te  I  can 
take  her  behind  me,  and  get  her  there  by  the  through 
way." 


3*23  RED   ROCK 

"What !  On  that  horse?  I  can't  ride  that  creature," 
declared  Mrs.  Welch  with  wide-open  eyes,  looking  at  his 
handsome  horse  which  was  still  prancing  from  excitement. 

"  Why,  he's  as  quiet  as  a  lamb — he's  carried  double  many 
a  time,  and  several  ladies  have  ridden  him.  I  could  get 
you  there  much  quicker  than  you  can  drive.  All  you  have 
to  do  is  to  hold  on  to  me.  Whoa,  boy  ! " 

"I  know  that  sort  of  lamb,"  declared  Mrs.  Welch. 
"  What  shall  I  do  with  my  trunk?" 

The  young  man's  confidence  was  telling  on  her  and  she 
was  beginning  to  yield.  The  choice  was  between  the  two 
horses  and  she  had  had  experience  with  one. 

"Oh!  your  trunk's  all  right.  I'll  carry  your  trunk  on," 
agreed  the  driver.  He  had  finished  his  mending  and  was 
gathering  up  his  reins. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  are  going  to  get  in  there  and 
try  to  drive  that  horse  again?  " 

"  Thaf  s  what  I'm  agoin'  to  do  'm." 

"Then  I'll  get  in,  too,"  declared  Mrs.  Welch,  firmly. 
Her  face  was  pale,  but  there  was  a  light  in  her  eyes  that 
made  her  suddenly  handsome.  The  two  men  looked  at  her 
and  both  began  to  expostulate. 

"  I  made  him  come,  and  I  don't  mean  that  he  shall  risk 
his  neck  for  me  alone,"  she  declared,  firmly,  gathering  up 
her  skirts.  But  the  horseman  suddenly  interfered. 

"  I  couldn't  let  you  be  run  away  with  again  under  my 
very  eyes,"  he  said,  smiling,  "  I  might  be  held  accountable 
by  your  dau by  your  fam your  Government." 

Mrs.  Welch  was  not  accustomed  to  being  talked  to  in 
this  way  ;  but  she  liked  him  none  the  less  for  it.  However, 
she  would  not  yield. 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  a  trial  should  be  made  first 
without  her,  and  then,  if  the  horse  went  all  right,  she  could 
get  in.  Both  men  insisted  on  this,  and  as  they  explained 
that  the  driver  could  manage  the  horse  better  without  her, 
she  temporized.  Indeed  she  was  obliged  to  do  so,  for  the 
young  man  who  had  rescued  her  told  her  plainly,  though 


*  I  OOUUXVT   LET  TOO 


E  ran  AWAY  wm  AGAIR 

EYES,"  K  SA3H. 


*Y  TEXT 


MRS.   WELCH   ARRIVES  329 

politely,  that  he  would  not  allow  her  to  get  in  the  wagon 
again  until  the  experiment  had  been  made. 

After  a  little  time,  as  the  horse  appeared  to  have  been  so- 
bered  by  his  unwonted  exertion,  she  was  allowed  to  mount 
once  more,  and  so  proceeded,  the  young  gentleman  riding 
close  beside  the  horse,  to  prevent  any  further  trouble. 

Mrs.  Welch  at  last  had  time  to  look  at  her  deliverer. 
He  was  a  tall,  fine-looking  young  fellow,  with  the  face  and 
address  of  a  gentleman.  A  slouch  hat,  much  weather- 
stained,  and  a  suit  of  clothes  by  no  means  new,  at  first 
sight  made  his  dress  appear  negligent,  but  his  voice  was 
as  refined  as  any  Mrs.  Welch  had  ever  heard  ;  his  manner 
was  a  mixture  of  deference  and  protection,  and  his  face, 
with  clear,  gray  eyes,  firm  mouth,  and  pleasant  smile,  gave 
him  an  air  of  distinction  and  was  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive she  had  ever  seen. 

He  had  introduced  himself  to  her  when  he  first  spoke ; 
Captain  Somebody,  he  said,  but  as  she  had  been  rather 
agitated  at  that  moment  she  had  not  caught  the  name, 
and  she  waited  until  he  should  mention  it  again  or  she 
should  get  a  chance  to  ask  the  driver.  When  she  did  ask 
him,  she  understood  him  to  say  Captain  Naline. 

After  a  time,  as  the  horse  was  now  quiet  and  there 
were  no  more  bad  hills,  the  gentleman  said  he  had  an  en- 
gagement, and  would  have  to  ride  on.  So,  as  Mrs.  Welch 
declared  herself  now  entirely  easy  in  her  mind,  he  bade 
her  good-evening  and  galloped  on,  and  soon  afterward 
Mrs.  Welch  was  met  by  her  husband  on  his  way  over  to 
the  station  with  a  carriage. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

MRS.    WELCH   ENTERS  THE   HARVEST 

MRS.  WELCH  had  not  been  in  the  County  forty-eight 
hours  before  she  was  quite  satisfied  that  this  was  the  field 
for  her  work,  and  that  she  was  the  very  laborer  for  this 
field. 

In  three  days  the  signs  of  her  occupation  and  energy 
were  unmistakable.  Every  room  in  the  little  cottage  was 
scoured  afresh,  and  things  were  changed  within  the  old 
house,  and  were  undergoing  a  change  without,  which 
would  have  astonished  the  departed  Stampers. 

A  gang  of  darkies,  of  all  ages  and  sizes,  was  engaged  by 
her  or  collected  somehow  (perhaps,  no  one  knew  just  how, 
unless  Hiram,  who  distributed  the  contents  of  the  boxes, 
knew),  who,  Andy  Stamper  said,  looked  like  harvesters 
and  got  harvest-wages.  The  rooms  were  turned  inside 
out,  the  yard  was  cleared  up,  the  fences  repaired  and  white- 
washed, and  the  chambers  were  papered  or  painted  of  a 
dark  maroon  or  other  rich  color,  then  the  fashion,  by 
Doan,  whom  Hiram  Still  sent  over  for  the  purpose — Mrs. 
Welch  not  only  superintending  actively,  but  showing,  with 
real  skill,  how  it  ought  to  be  done ;  for  one  of  the  lady's 
maxims  was,  "What  your  hands  find  to  do,  do  with  all 
your  might."  Ruth,  during  the  repairs,  took  occasion  to 
pull  out  carefully  the  nail  on  which  Andy  had  told  her  his 
father  used  to  hang  his  watch,  and  sent  it  wrapt  in  a  neat 
little  parcel  to  Andy,  with  a  note  saying  how  much  pleas- 
ure she  had  in  sending  it.  She  did  not  dream  that  by  this 
little  act  she  was  making  one  of  the  best  friends  of  her  life. 
Sergeant  Stamper  drove  the  nail  in  a  strip  beside  his  own 

330 


MRS.   WELCH  ENTERS  THE  HARVEST  331 

bed.  And  as  he  struck  the  last  blow  he  turned  to  his  wife, 
who  with  sympathetic  eyes  was  standing  by,  and  said  : 

"Delia,  if  I  ever  fail  to  do  what  that  young  lady 
asks  me,  I  hope  God  will  drive  the  nails  in  my  coffin 
next  day." 

On  the  arrival  of  Mrs.  Welch,  there  was  a  repetition  of 
those  visits  of  mingled  friendliness  and  curiosity  which 
had  been  paid  Major  Welch  and  Miss  Ruth.  And  as  Ma- 
jor Welch  and  Ruth  formed  their  opinions,  so  now,  Mrs. 
Welch  formed  hers.  She  prided  herself  on  her  reasoning 
faculty.  She  repudiated  the  idea  that  woman's  intuition 
was  a  substitute  for  man's  reason.  She  was  not  going  to 
hang  on  any  such  wretched  makeshift.  She  judged  men 
and  things  precisely  as  men  did,  she  said,  and  the  only 
difference  was  that  she  was  quicker  than  most  men. 

Dr.  Gary  and  Mrs.  Gary  called  with  Miss  Thomasia  and 
Blair  ;  and  General  Legaie  and  Jacquelin  Gray  and  Steve 
Allen  rode  up  together  one  afternoon.  The  two  former 
paid  only  a  short  visit,  but  Captain  Allen  stayed  to  tea. 
Steve  treated  her  with  that  mingled  deference  and  freedom 
which,  in  just  the  right  proportion,  make — at  least,  in  a 
young  and  handsome  man — the  most  charming  manners. 
He  even  dared  to  tease  Mrs.  Welch  on  the  serious  sentiments 
she  expressed,  and  on  her  appearance  that  day  in  the  wagon, 
a  liberty  that  neither  Ruth  nor  Major  Welch  ever  ventured 
to  take  ;  and  to  Ruth's  exceeding  surprise,  her  mother,  so 
far  from  resenting  it,  actually  appeared  to  like  it.  As  for 
Ruth,  her  mother  surprised  a  look  of  real  delight  in  her 
eyes. 

It  gave  her  food  for  thought.  "  That  young  man  talked 
to  me  ;  but  he  looked  at  Ruth.  What  does  it  mean  ?  It 
might  mean  one  thing — yes,  it  might  mean  that  ?  But  it 
is  impossible  \"  She  put  the  idea  aside  as  too  absurd  to 
consider.  However,  she  determined  to  be  on  her  guard. 

Mrs.  Welch  had  no  time  to  spend  in  the  sort  of  hospital- 
ity practised  by  her  neighbors.  The  idea  of  going  over  to 
a  neighbor's  to  "  spend  the  day,"  as  most  of  the  invitations 


832  RED   ROCK 

she  received  ran,  or  of  having  them  come  and  "  spend  the 
day"  with  her  as  they  did  with  others,  was  intolerable.  It 
might  have  done,  she  held,  for  an  archaic  state  of  society, 
but  it  was  just  this  terrible  waste  of  time  that  made  the 
people  about  her  what  she  saw  them:  indolent,  and  shift- 
less and  poor.  She  had  "  work  to  do,"  and  she  "  meant  to 
do  it."  So,  having  called  formally  at  Dr.  Gary's,  Miss 
Gray's,  and  the  other  places,  the  ladies  from  which  had 
called  on  her,  she  declined  further  invitations  and  began 
her  "work."  She  wrote  to  her  Society  back  at  home,  that 
as  she  looked  around  her  spirit  groaned  within  her.  The  har- 
vest was  ripe — already  too  ripe,  and  the  over-ripened  wheat 
was  falling,  day  by  day,  to  the  earth  and  being  trampled 
in  the  ground.  She  wrote  also  her  impressions  of  her  new 
neighbors.  She  was  charmed  with  Miss  Thomasia  and  the 
General.  The  former  reminded  her  of  her  grandmother, 
whom  she  remembered  as  a  white-haired  old  lady  knitting 
in  her  armchair,  and  the  General  was  an  old  French  field- 
marshal,  of  the  time  of  Bayard  or  Sidney,  who  had  strayed 
into  this  century,  and  who  would  not  surprise  her  by  ap- 
pearing in  armor  with  a  sleeve  around  his  helmet,  "  funny, 
dear,  old  fossil  that  he  is."  She  was  pleased  with  Miss 
Gary  and  the  Doctor,  though  the  former  appeared  to  have 
rather  too  antiquated  views  of  life,  and  the  Doctor  was  un- 
practical to  the  last  degree.  They  were  all  densely  pre- 
judiced ;  but  that  she  did  not  in  the  least  mind  ;  they  \Fere 
also  universally  shiftless,  but  she  had  hope.  They  must 
be  enlightened  and  aided  (Mrs.  Welch  was  conscious  of  a 
feeling  of  virtuous  charitableness  when  she  penned  this.  It 
was  going  farther  than  she  had  ever  deemed  it  possible  she 
could  go).  When  it  came  to  the  question  of  the  poor  blacks, 
the  whites  were  all  alike.  They  had  not  the  least  idea 
of  their  duty  to  them  :  even  those  she  had  mentioned  as  the 
most  enlightened,  regarded  them  yet  as  only  so  many  chat- 
tels, as  still  slaves.  Finally,  she  wrote,  she  could  not  but 
admit  that  nothing  but  kindness  had  been  shown  to  them- 
selves since  their  arrival.  One  could  not  but  appreciate  such 


MRS.    WELCH   ENTERS  THE  HARVEST  333 

cordiality,  even  if  it  were  the  result  of  mere  impulse  rather 
than  of  steady  principle.  But  Mr.  Still,  the  Union  man 
of  whom  the  Society  knew,  had  intimated  that  it  was  only 
a  concerted  effort  to  blind  them  to  the  true  state  of  affairs, 
and  that  if  they  exhibited  any  independence  it  would  soon 
change.  As  to  this  she  should  be  watchful.  And  she  ap- 
pealed for  help. 

Such  was  the  substance  of  the  first  letter  that  Mrs.  Welch 
wrote  back  to  her  old  Reform  and  Help  Society  at  home, 
which  was  regarded  by  some  of  her  friends  as  a  roseate- 
colored  statement  of  the  case.  It  was  even  intimated 
that  it  contained  evidence  that  Mrs.  Welch  was  already 
succumbing  to  the  very  influence  she  repudiated. 

"  But  they  all  do  it.  I  never  knew  anyone  go  down 
there  who  did  not  at  once  abandon  all  principles  and 
fall  a  victim  to  the  influences  of  those  people,"  declared 
Mrs.  Bolter,  who,  now  that  Mrs.  Welch  had  left,  repre- 
sented the  earnest  and  most  active  wing  of  the  society. 

"  May  not  that  prove  that  perhaps  there  is  something  on 
their  side  that  we  do  not  understand  ?  "  hazarded  one  of 
the  young  ladies  of  the  society,  Mrs.  Clough,  who,  as  a 
daughter  of  Senator  Rockfield,  was  privileged  to  express 
views. 

"Not  at  all,"  declared  Mrs.  Bolter.  "I  knew  that 
Major  Welch  and  Ruth  were  both  hopelessly  weak  ;  but  I 
confess  I  did  think  better  things  of  Mrs.  Welch." 

"  Do  you  know,  now  that  she  has  gone,  I  confess  that  I 
always  did  think  Ruth  Welch  had  more  sense — more  prac- 
tical sense  I  mean,  than  her  mother,"  said  Mrs.  Clough. 

"  Of  course,  you  do,"  replied  the  older  lady.  Mrs. 
Clough  colored. 

"  And  my  husband  thinks  so,  too." 

"  Oh!  if  your  husband  thinks  so—of  course!"  Mrs.  Bol- 
ter looked  sympathetic  and  superior.  "I  supposed  he 
thought  so."  The  younger  lady  colored  deeply. 

"  And  my  sister  thinks  so,"  she  added,  with  dignity. 

"  Oh  !  indeed  1    I  knew  she  thought  some  of  the  younger 


334  BED   ROCK 

members  of  the  connection  very  attractive,"  said  Mrs. 
Bolter. 

Mrs.  Clough  rose,  and,  with  a  how,  left  the  assembly. 

She  was  comforted  that  evening  by  hearing  her  husband 
not  only  commend  her  views  warmly,  but  abuse  Mrs.  Bol- 
ter as  a  "  stuck-up  and  ill-bred  woman,  as  vain  and  vulgar 
as  Bolter  himself,"  whom  he  would  not  trust  around  the 
corner. 

"  If  she  is  that  now,  what  will  she  be  after  she  marries 
her  daughter  to  Captain  Middleton  ?  "  Mrs.  Clough  said. 
"  She's  had  him  in  tow  ever  since  he  came  home  a  week 
ago.  I  do  think  it  is  vulgar,  the  way  some  women  run 
after  men  for  their  daughters  nowadays.  She  has  not 
given  that  poor  man  an  hour's  rest  since  he  landed." 

"I  don't  believe  there's  anything  in  that.  Larry  would 
not  marry  one  of  that  family.  He  knows  Bolter  too  well. 
I  always  thought  he  would  end  by  marrying  Ruth  Welch, 
and  he  told  me  to-day  at  the  club  he  was  going  South." 

"  Oh  !  all  you  men  always  were  silly  about  Ruth  Welch. 
You  all  thought  she  was  the  most  beautiful  creature  in 
the  world,"  said  little  Mrs.  Clough,  with  an  air  not  wholly 
reconcilable  with  her  attitude  at  the  Aid  Society  meet- 
.ing  just  recorded. 

"  No,  I  know  one  man  who  made  one  exception,"  said 
her  husband  leaning  over  and  kissing  her,  and  thereupon, 
as  is  the  way  with  lovers,  began  "  new  matter." 

"Captain  Middleton  is  not  going  South,"  said  Mrs. 
Clough,  suddenly.  "  That  is,  he's  going  south ;  but  not 
to  the  South." 

"  He  is  not !     Why,  he  told  me  he  was." 

"Well,  he's  not.  He's  going  to  Washington."  She 
spoke  oracularly. 

"  What's  he  going  there  about  ?  About  that  old  affair  ? 
You  seem  to  know  his  plans  better  than  he  does.  I  see 
by  the  papers  it's  up  again.  Or  about  that  railroad 
scheme  Bolter's  working  at?  He's  down  there  now.  Larry 
said  he  had  to  see  the  Senator." 


MRS.    WELCH   ENTERS   THE  HAEVE8T  335 

"  No,  about  a  new  affair — Larry  Middleton  is  in  love 
with  Alice,"  said  Mrs.  Clough,  with  entire  unconscious- 
ness of  the  singularity  of  her  sudden  and  unexpected 
bouleversement.  Her  husband  turned  round  on  her  in 
blank  amazement. 

f '  Wha-at  !  "     He  strung  the  word  out  in  his  surprise. 

"  Yes — you  men  are  so  blind.  He's  in  love  with  Alice  ; 
was  with  her  abroad  and  came  home  to  see  her."  She 
was  suddenly  interested  in  a  very  small  baby-garment  she 
was  sewing  on. 

"Why,  you  just  said  he  was  in  love  with  Ruth 
Welch!" 

"  Did  I  ?  "  she  asked,  quietly,  as  calm  as  a  May  morn- 
ing, and  apparently  with  perfect  indifference. 

" — And  you  said  Mrs.  Bolter  would  catch  him  for  her 
loud,  sporty  daughter  ! " 

"  Oh !  I  believe  I  did."  She  was  turning  a  hem. 
"  One,  two,  three,"  she  counted.  "  Well,  she  won't  get 
him."  She  was  interested  only  in  the  baby-garment. 

"  Are  they  engaged  ?  " 

"Not  yet — quite — but  almost —  Will  be  in  a  week. 
Isn't  that  a  darling  ? "  She  held  up  the  garment,  and 
spanned  it  with  her  pink  fingers. 

"  Well,  you  women  are  curious,"  said  her  husband,  al- 
most with  a  gasp.  "  Here  you  have  been  abusing  Ruth 
Welch  and  Mrs.  Bolter  and  every  woman  Larry  Middleton 
knew  in  the  world,  and  all  the  time  he  was  dead  in  love 
with  your  own  sister!  " 

"  Umhm  ! "  She  looked  up  and  nodded  brightly,  then 
broke  into  a  laugh.  "  And  you  think  that's  curious  ?  " 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  of  it.  Larry's  a  good  fellow.  Now  I 
see  it  all.  I  thought  he  was  uncommonly  glad  to  see  me 
to-day,  and  when  I  undertook  to  chaff  him  a  little  about 
Ruth  Welch,  looked  rather  red  and  silly." 

"  You  didn't  !  "  said  his  wife,  aghast.  "  What  in  the 
world !" 

"  Oh  !  I'll  make  it  all  right  the  next  time  I  see  him. 


836  EED   ROCK 

How  was  I  to  know  ?  Fll  write  to  Alice  and  congratulate 
her/' 

"  Indeed,  you'll  not.  Not  a  word.  You'll  ruin  every- 
thing ! " 

"Why?" 

"  Why,  he  hasn't  spoken  yet " 

"  Why,  you  just  said —  "    He  lapsed  into  reflection. 

"  Oh  !  You  men  are  so  stupid  ! "  sighed  Mrs.  Clough. 
"  But  come,  promise  me." 

And  he  promised — as  we  all  do — always. 

Having  despatched  her  appeal,  Mrs.  Welch  did  not 
waste  time  waiting  for  a  response,  but  was  as  good  as  her 
word  and,  like  an  energetic  soul,  without  waiting  a  day, 
sickle  in  hand,  entered  the  field  alone.  Her  first  step 
was  what  she  termed  "  informing  herself."  She  always 
"informed  herself"  about  things;  it  was  one  of  the  se- 
crets of  her  success,  she  said. 

Her  first  visit  on  this  tour  of  inspection  was  to  the 
Bend.  She  selected  this  as  the  primary  object  of  her 
visitation,  because  she  understood  it  was  the  worst  place 
in  the  community,  and  she  proposed  to  go  at  once  to  the 
very  bottom.  Dr.  Gary  had  spoken  of  it  as  "  a  festering 
spot  ";  General  Legaie  had  referred  to  it  as  "  a  den  of 
iniquity."  Well,  if  it  were  a  festering  sore  it  ought 
to  be  treated  ;  if  it  were  a  den  it  ought  to  be  opened  to 
the  light,  she  declared.  She  found  it  worse  than  she  had 
expected  ;  but  this  did  not  deter  her.  She  forthwith 
set  to  work  to  build  a  school-house  near  the  Bend,  and 
sent  for  a  woman  to  come  down  and  take  charge  of  it. 

She  was  ne  little  surprised  one  day  when  she  called  at  a 
cabin  where  she  had  been  told  a  woman  was  ill,  to  have 
the  door  opened  by  Mrs.  Gary.  Mrs.  Gary  invited  her  in 
and  thanked  her  for  calling,  quite  as  if  she  owned  the 
house.  Mrs.  Welch  had  her  first  gleam  of  doubt  as  to 
whether  she  had  stated  the  case  to  her  Society  with  entire 
correctness.  She  observed  that  the  woman's  sheets  were 


MRS.   WELCH   ENTERS  THE   HARVEST  337 

old  and  patched,  and  she  said  she  would  have  her  Society 
make  new  ones.  How  could  she  know  that  Maria's  old 
mistress  had  just  brought  her  these  and  that  she  and  Blair 
had  mended  them  with  their  own  hands  ? 

It  does  not  require  an  earthquake  to  start  talk  in  a  rural 
community — and  Mrs.  Welch  had  not  been  in  her  new 
home  a  month,  or,  for  that  matter,  a  week,  before  she  was 
the  most  talked-of  woman  in  the  County. 

Notwithstanding  Hiram  StilFs  desire  to  keep  secret  the 
fact  that  he  was  trying  to  sell  a  part  of  Eed  Eock  to  Major 
Welch,  it  was  soon  rumored  around  that  Major  Welch  was 
to  buy  the  Stamper  place  and  a  considerable  part  of  the 
old  Gray  estate.  Leech,  it  was  reported,  had  come  up  from 
town,  given  a  clean  title  and  prepared  a  deed  which  was  to 
be  delivered  on  a  certain  day.  Allowing  for  exaggerations, 
it  is  astonishing  how  accurate  the  bureau  of  advanced 
rumor  often  is. 

Steve  Allen  and  Jacquelin  Gray  held  sundry  conferences 
in  the  clerk's  office,  with  the  papers  in  Still's  old  suit  be- 
fore them,  and  it  got  abroad  that  they  were  not  going  to 
permit  the  sale. 

The  day  before  that  set  by  this  exact  agency  for  the  final 
consummation  of  the  purchase,  a  letter  was  brought  for 
Major  Welch.  The  messenger  who  brought  it  was  a  hand- 
some, spirited-looking  boy  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  evi- 
dently a  gentleman's  son.  Major  Welch  was  away  from 
home ;  but  Ruth  happened  to  be  in  the  yard  when  the  boy 
rode  up.  He  was  mounted  on  a  handsome  bay  with  white 
feet,  which  Ruth  recognized  as  that  which  Captain  Allen 
rode.  Ruth  loved  a  fine  horse,  and  she  went  up  to  him. 
As  she  approached,  the  boy  sprang  to  the  ground  and  took 
off  his  hat  with  a  manner  so  like  Captain  Allen's  that 
Ruth  smiled  to  herself. 

"  Is — is  Major  Welch  at  home  ? "  he  asked.  He  had 
pulled  a  paper  from  his  pocket  and  was  blushing  with  a 
boy's  embarrassment. 

Euth  said  her  father  was  not  at  home,  but  explained  that 


338  RED    ROCK 

she  would  take  any  letter  for  him — or — would  not  he  tie 
his  horse  and  come  in  and  wait  for  her  father  ? 

This  invitation  quite  overthrew  the  little  structure  of 
assurance  the  boy  had  built  up,  and  he  was  thrown  into 
such  a  state  of  confusion  that  Ruth's  heart  went  out  to 
him. 

He  thanked  her  ;  but  he  was  afraid  his  horse  would 
not  stand  tied.  He  was  stuffing  the  paper  back  in  his 
pocket,  hardly  aware  of  what  he  was  doing. 

Ruth  was  sure  the  horse  would  stand  ;  she  had  seen  him 
tied  ;  but  she  respected  the  boy's  confusion,  and  offered 
again  to  take  the  letter  for  her  father.  He  gave  it  to  her 
apparently  with  reluctance.  His  cousin,  Steve  Allen, 
had  told  him  to  give  it  to  Major  Welch  himself,  he  half 
stammered. 

"Well,  I  am  his  daughter,  Miss  Welch,"  Ruth  said, 
"  and  you  can  tell  Captain  Allen  that  I  said  I  would  cer- 
tainly deliver  it  to  my  father.  Won't  you  tell  me  who 
you  are  ?  "  she  asked,  smiling. 

' '  I'm  Rupert  Gray,  Jacqueliu  Gray's  brother/' 

"  Oh  1    You  have  been  off  at  school  ?  " 

"  Yes'm.  Jacquelin  would  make  me  go,  but  I've  come 
back  for  good,  now.  He  says  I  needn't  go  any  more.  He 
hasn't  got  anything  to  send  me  any  more,  anyhow." 
This  in  a  very  cheery  tone.  He  was  partly  recovering 
from  his  embarrassment.  "  Steve  wanted  to  send  me  to 
college,  but  I  won't  go." 

"You  won't?    Why  not?" 

"Steve  hasn't  got  any  money  to  send  me  to  college. 
Besides,  they  just  want  to  get  me  away  from  here — I  know 
'em — and  I  won't  go."  (With  a  boy's  confidingness.) 
"  They're  afraid  I'll  get—"  He  stopped  short.—"  But  I'm 
not  afraid.  Just  let  'em  try."  He  paused,  his  face 
flushed  with  excitement,  and  looked  straight  at  her.  He 
evidently  wanted  to  say  something  else  to  her,  and  she 
smiled  encouragingly. 

"You  tell  your  father  not  to  have  anything  to  do  with 


MRS.    WELCH   ENTERS   THE   HARVEST  339 

that  Still  and  that  man  Leech/'  His  tone  was  a  mixture 
of  sincerity  and  persuasiveness. 

"Why?"    Ruth  smiled. 

"Because — one's  a  carpetbagger  and  t'other  a  scala- 
wag." 

"  Why,  we  are  carpetbaggers,  too." 

"  Well — yes — but — .  Steve  he  says  so,  too.  And  he 
don't  want  you  to  get  mixed  up  with  'em.  That's  the  rea- 
son." His  embarrassment  returned  for  a  moment. 

"  Oh  !  Captain  Allen  says  so  ?  I'm  very  much  obliged 
to  him,  I'm  sure."  Ruth  laughed,  but  her  form  straight- 
ened and  her  color  deepened. 

"  No,  no,  not  that  way.  Steve  is  a  dandy.  And  so  is 
Jacquelin.  He's  just  as  good  as  Steve.  Never  was  any- 
body like  Jacquelin.  You  ought  to  know  him.  That 
fellow  Leech  imprisoned  him.  But  I  knocked  him  down 
— I  could  die  for  Jacquelin — at  least,  I  think  I  could. 
That's  the  reason  I  hate  'em  so  I "  he  broke  out,  vehe- 
mently. "  And  I  don't  want  you  to  get  mixed  up  with 
'em.  You  aren't  like  them.  You  are  more  like  us." 

Ruth  smiled  at  the  ingenuousness  of  this  compliment. 

"  And  you  tell  your  father,  won't  you  ? "  he  repeated. 
"  Good-evening."  He  held  out  his  hand,  shook  hers, 
sprang  on  his  horse,  and,  making  her  a  flourishing  bow, 
galloped  away,  evidently  very  proud  of  his  horsemanship. 

He  left  Ruth  with  a  pleasant  feeling  round  her  heart, 
which  she  could  scarcely  have  accounted  for.  She  won- 
dered what  it  was  that  his  brother  and  Captain  Allen  were 
afraid  the  boy  would  do. 

As  for  Rupert,  when  he  returned  to  Captain  Allen  he 
was  so  full  of  Miss  Welch  that  Steve  declared  he  was  in 
love  with  her,  and  guilefully  drew  him  on  to  talk  of  her 
and  tell,  over  and  over,  every  detail  of  his  interview.  The 
charge  of  being  in  love  the  boy  denied,  of  course,  but  from 
that  time  Ruth,  without  knowing  it,  had  the  truest  bless- 
ing a  girl  can  have — the  ingenuous  devotion  of  a  young 
boy's  heart. 


340  BED   ROCK 

When  her  father  came  home  the  current  of  Ruth's 
thoughts  was  changed. 

The  letter  Rupert  had  brought  contained  a  paper,  or 
rather  two  papers,  addressed  to  Major  Welch.  One  was  a 
formal  notice  to  him  that  the  title  by  which  Still  held  Red 
Rock  was  fraudulent  and  invalid,  and  that  he  would  buy 
at  his  peril,  as  a  suit  would  be  brought  to  rip  up  the  whole 
matter  and  set  aside  the  deed  under  which  Still  held. 
The  paper  was  signed  by  Jacquelin  Gray  and  witnessed 
by  Stevenson  Allen  as  counsel,  in  whose  handwriting  it 
was.  In  addition  to  the  formal  notice,  here  was  a  note  to 
Major  Welch  from  Captain  Allen,  in  which  he  stated  that 
having  heard  the  rumor  that  Major  Welch  was  contemplat- 
ing buying  the  place  in  question,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  let 
him  know  at  once  that  such  a  step  would  involve  him  in  a 
lawsuit,  and  that  possibly  it  might  be  very  unpleasant  for 
him. 

This  letter  was  a  bombshell. 

Mrs.  Welch  took  it  not  as  a  legal  notice,  but  as  a  declar- 
ation of  war,  and  when  that  gage  was  flung  down  she  was 
ready  to  accept  it.  She  came  of  a  stock  equally  prompt 
to  be  martyrs  or  fighters.  She  urged  Major  Welch  to  re- 
ply plainly  at  once.  It  WHS  just  a  part  of  the  persecu- 
tion all  loyal  people  had  to  go  through.  Let  them  see 
that  they  were  not  afraid.  Major  Welch  was  for  moving 
a  little  deliberately.  He  should  certainly  not  be  bullied 
into  receding  from  his  purchase  by  anything  of  this  kind, 
but  he  would  act  prudently.  He  would  look  again  into 
the  matter  and  see  if  there  was  any  foundation  for  the 
charge. 

Ruth  rallied  to  the  side  of  her  mother  and  father,  and 
felt  as  angry  with  Mr.  Allen  and  everyone  else  concerned 
in  the  matter  as  it  was  in  the  nature  of  her  kind  heart  to 
be. 

Major  Welch's  investigation  did  not  proceed  exactly  on 
the  lines  on  which  he  would  have  acted  at  home.  He  had 
to  rely  on  the  men  he  employed.  Both  Still  and  Leech 


MRS.   WELCH  ENTEES  THE  HARVEST  341 

insisted  that  the  notice  given  was  merely  an  attempt  to 
bully  him.  They  further  furnished  him  an  abstract  of 
the  title,  which  showed  it  to  be  perfectly  clear  and  regular, 
and  when  Major  Welch  applied  in  person  to  the  old  clerk, 
he  corroborated  this  and  certified  that  at  that  time  no  cloud 
was  on  the  title. 

He  was,  however,  by  no  means  as  gracious  toward  Ma- 
jor Welch  as  he  had  been  the  first  time  he  saw  him — was, 
on  the  contrary,  rather  short  in  his  manner,  and,  that 
gentleman  thought,  almost  regretted  to  have  to  give  the 
certificate. 

"  Yes,  it's  all  clear  to  date  as  far  as  the  records  show," 
he  said,  with  careful  limitation,  in  reply  to  a  request  from 
Major  Welch  for  a  certificate,  "  but  if  you'll  take  my  ad- 
vice  » 

Still,  who  was  sitting  near,  wriggled  slightly  in  his  chair. 

Major  Welch  had  been  a  little  exasperated.  "  My  dear 
sir,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  take  your  advice  generally, 
but  this  is  a  matter  of  private  business  between  this  gentle 

between  Mr.  Still  and  myself,  and  I  must  be  allowed 

to  act  on  my  own  judgment.  What  I  want  is  not  advice, 
but  a  certificate  of  the  state  of  those  titles." 

A  change  came  over  the  old  clerk's  countenance.  He 
bowed  stiffly.  "  All  right,  sir  ;  I  reckon  you  know  your 
own  business,"  he  said,  dryly,  and  he  made  out  the  certifi- 
cate and  handed  it  to  Major  Welch  almost  grimly. 

Major  Welch  glanced  at  it  and  turned  to  Still. 

"  You  can  have  your  deeds  prepared,  Mr.  Still.  I  am 
going  to  town  to-morrow  and  shall  be  ready  to  pay  over 
the  money  on  my  return."  He  spoke  in  a  tone  for  the 
clerk  to  hear  and  intended  to  show  his  resolution. 

Still  followed  him  out  and  suggested  that  he'd  as  lieve 
give  him  the  deeds  to  put  to  record  then,  and  he  could 
pay  him  when  he  came  back.  He  was  always  willing  to 
take  a  gentleman's  word.  This,  however,  Major  Welch 
would  not  consent  to. 

Still  stayed  with  Major  Welch  all  the  rest  of  the  day  and 


342  BED   ROCK 

returned  home  with  him:  a  fellowship  which,  though  some- 
what irksome  to  the  Major,  he  tolerated,  because  Still, 
half-jestingly,  half-seriously,  explained  that  somehow  he 
"  felt  sort  of  safer  "  when  he  was  with  the  Major. 

Two  or  three  days  afterward  Major  Welch,  having  re- 
turned from  the  capital,  paid  Still  the  money  and  took  his 
deed  ;  and  it  was  duly  recorded. 

The  interview  in  the  clerk's  office,  in  which  Major 
Welch  had  declined  to  hear  the  old  clerk's  advice,  was  re- 
ported by  Mr.  Dockett  to  Steve  Allen  and  Jacquelin  Gray 
that  same  evening.  The  only  way  to  save  the  place,  they 
agreed,  was  to  institute  their  proceedings  and  file  a  notice 
of  a  pending  suit,  or,  as  the  lawyers  call  it,  a  Us  pendens. 

"  He'll  hardly  be  big  enough  fool  to  fly  in  the  face  of 
that,"  said  Mr.  Dockett. 

So  the  very  next  day  a  suit  was  docketed  and  a  Us  pen- 
dens  filed,  giving  notice  that  the  title  to  the  lands  was  in 
question. 

The  summonses  were  delivered  to  the  sheriff,  Mr.  James 
Sherwood  ;  but  this  was  the  day  Major  Welch  spent  in  the 
city,  and  when  the  sheriff  handed  the  summons  to  Still 
and  showed  the  one  he  had  for  Major  Welch,  Still  took  it 
from  him,  saying  he  would  serve  it  for  him. 

Thus  it  happened  that  when  Major  Welch  paid  down 
the  money  he  was  in  ignorance  that  two  suits  had  already 
been  instituted  to  declare  the  title  in  Still  fraudulent. 

Meantime,  copies  of  Mrs.  Welch's  letter  to  her  friends  had 
come  back  to  the  County,  and  the  effect  was  instantaneous. 

When  Mrs.  Welch  wrote  the  letter  describing  her  new 
home  and  surroundings,  she  gave,  as  has  been  said,  what 
she  considered  a  very  favorable  account  of  her  neighbors. 
She  had  not  written  the  letter  for  publication,  yet,  when 
the  zeal  of  her  friends  gave  it  to  the  public,  she  was  sensi- 
ble of  a  feeling  of  gratified  pride.  There  were  in  it  a 
number  of  phrases  which,  as  she  looked  at  them  in  cold 
print,  she  would  in  a  milder  mood  have  softened  ;  but  she 
consoled  herself  with  the  reflection  that  the  individuals 


MRS.   WELCH  ENTERS  THE  HARVEST  343 

referred  to  in  the  letter  would  never  see  it.  Alas  !  for  the 
vain  trust  of  those  who  rely  on  their  obscurity  to  hide  their 
indiscretions.  The  Censor  was  as  well  known,  even  if  not 
so  extensively  known,  in  the  old  County  as  in  Mrs.  Welch's 
former  home.  It  had  long  been  known  as  Leech's  organ, 
and  was  taken  by  more  than  one  of  the  Red  Rock  residents. 

When  the  issue  containing  Mrs.  Welch's  letter  first  ap- 
peared it  raised  a  breeze.  The  neighborhood  was  deeply 
stirred  and,  what  appeared  most  curious  to  Mrs.  Welch  was, 
that  what  gave  most  offence,  was  her  reference  to  individ- 
uals which  she  had  intended  to  be  rather  complimentary. 
She  made  up  her  mind  to  face  boldly  the  commotion  she 
had  raised -and  to  bear  with  fortitude  whatever  it  might 
bring.  She  did  not  know  that  it  was  her  patronizing  at- 
titude that  gave  the  most  serious  offence. 

"I  don't  mind  her  attack  on  us,  but  blame  her  impu- 
dent, patronizing  air,"  declared  the  little  General — "  Gen- 
eral Fossil,"  as  Steve  called  him — "and  to  think  that  I 
should  have  put  myself  out  to  be  especially  civil  to  her ! 
Steve,  you  are  so  fond  of  Northern  cherries,  I  shall  let  you 
do  the  civilities  for  us  both  hereafter."  To  the  General's 
surprise,  Steve  actually  reddened. 

The  next  time  Mrs.  Welch  met  her  neighbors  she  was 
conscious  of  the  difference  in  their  bearing  toward  her.  It 
was  at  old  St.  Ann's.  When  she  had  been  there  before, 
the  whole  congregation  had  thronged  about  her  with  warm 
greetings  and  friendly  words.  Now  there  was  a  marked 
change.  Though  Steve  Allen  and  Rupert  and  Blair,  and 
a  few  others  came  up  and  spoke  to  her,  the  rest  of  the 
congregation  contented  themselves  with  returning  her 
bows  coldly  from  a  distance,  and  several  ladies,  she  was 
sure,  studiously  avoided  her  greeting. 

"  Well,  sir,  I  knew  she  was  a  oner  as  soon  as  I  lay  my 
eye  'pon  her,"  said  Andy  Stamper  to  a  group  of  his  friends 
in  the  court-yard  at  the  county  seat  the  next  court  day, 
"  but  I  didn't  know  she  was  goin'  to  take  that  tack.  She's 
done  fixed  up  the  place  till  you  wouldn't  know  it  from  a 


344  BED  BOOK 

town  place.  She  has  painted  them  old  rooms  so  black 
that  Doan  had  to  git  a  candle  to  see  how  to  do  it,  and  I 
was  born  in  one  of  'em.  I  told  her  I  never  heard  o'  paint- 
in'  nothin'  that  black  befo'  but  a  coffin,  but  she  said  it 
was  her  favorite  color." 

"  Tears  like  that's  so  too,  Sergeant,"  laughed  someone. 
"  Is  Hiram  there  much  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  he  goes  there  ;  but  you  know  I  don't  think  she 
likes  him  ;  and  it's  my  opinion  that  Hiram  he's  afeard  of 
her  as  he  is  of  Jacquelin  Gray.  .  He  talks  that  soft  way 
o'  hisn  aroun'  her  which  he  uses  when  he's  afeared  o'  any- 
one. She's  gin  them  niggers  the  best  clo'es  you  ever  see — 
coats  better  then  me  or  you  or  anyone  aroun' "heah  has 
seen  since  the  war.  What's  curious  to  me  is  that  though 
she  don't  seem  to  like  niggers  ard  git  along  with  'em  easy- 
like  and  nat'ral  as  we  all  do,  in  another  way  she  seems  to 
kind  o'  want  to  like  'em.  It  reminds  me  of  takin'  physic  : 
she  takes  'em  with  a  sort  o'  gulp,  but  wants  to  take  'em 
and  wants  to  make  everybody  else  do  it. 

"  Now  she's  been  over  yonder  to  the  Bend  and  got  'em 
all  stirred  up,  diggin'  dreens  and  whitewashin'  and  cuttin' 
poles  for  crosslay." 

"  She'll  be  tryin'  to  whitewash  them,"  said  one  of  his 
auditors. 

' '  Well,  by  Jingo  !  if  she  sets  her  mind  to  it  she'll  make 
it  stick,"  said  Andy.  ' '  What  gits  me  is  the  way  she  ain't 
got  some'n  better  to  work  on." 

Eeport  said  that  Jacquelin  was  blossoming  into  a  fine 
young  lawyer.  Steve  Allen  declared  that  his  practice  was 
doubling  under  Jacquelin's  devotion  to  the  work — which 
was  very  well,  as  Steve,  whether  from  contrariness  or  some 
other  motive,  was  becoming  a  somewhat  frequent  visitor  at 
Major  Welch's,  these  days. 

The  General  asserted  that  if  Jacquelin  stuck  to  his  of- 
fice and  studied  as  assiduously  as  he  was  doing,  he  would 
be  the  most  learned  lawyer  in  the  State.  "But  he'll  kill 


MRS.   WELCH   ENTERS  THE  HARVEST  345 

himself  if  he  does  not  stop  it.  Why,  I  can  see  the  differ- 
ence in  him  already,"  he  declared  to  Miss  Thomasia,  soli- 
citously. Miss  Thomasia  herself  had  seen  the  change  in 
Jacquelin's  appearance  since  his  return  home.  He  was 
growing  thin  again,  and,  if  not  pale,  was  at  least  losing  that 
ruddy  hue  of  health  which  he  had  had  on  his  arrival,  and 
she  expostulated  with  him,  and  tried  even  to  get  Blair  to  do 
the  same ;  for  Blair  always  had  great  influence  with  him, 
she  told  her.  Blair,  however,  pooh-poohed  the  matter  and 
said,  indifferently,  that  she  could  not  see  any  difference 
in  him  and  thought  he  looked  very  well.  Miss  Thomasia 
shook  her  head.  Blair  did  not  use  to  be  so  hard-hearted. 

But,  however  this  was,  Jacquelin  did  not  alter  his 
course.  The  negroes  had  become  so  unruly,  that,  as  Ru- 
pert was  often  away  from  home,  and  his  aunt  was  left 
alone,  he  came  home  every  night,  though  it  was  often  late 
before  he  arrived  ;  but  early  in  the  morning  he  returned 
to  the  Court-house  and  spent  the  day  there  in  his  office, 
rarely  accepting  an  invitation  or  taking  any  holiday. 

When  he  and  Blair  met,  which  they  did  sometimes  un- 
avoidably, there  was  a  return  of  the  old  constraint  that 
had  existed  before  he  went  away,  and  even  with  Steve  he 
appeared  to  be  growing  silent  and  self-absorbed. 

Blair  had  become  the  mainstay  of  her  family.  Uncon- 
sciously she  had  slipped  into  the  position  where  she  was 
the  prop  on  which  both  her  father  and  mother  leaned. 
She  taught  her  little  colored  school,  and  at  home  was  al- 
ways busy  about  something.  She  vied  with  Mrs.  Andy 
Stamper  in  raising  chickens,  and  with  Miss  Thomasia  in 
raising  violets.  Under  her  skilful  management,  the  little 
cottage  amid  its  wilderness  of  fruit-trees,  in  which  old  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bellows  had  lived,  became  a  rose-bower,  and  the 
fruit-trees  became  an  orchard  with  its  feet  buried  in  clover. 
Her  father  said  of  her  that  she  was  a  perpetual  reproduction 
of  the  miracle  of  the  creation — that  she  created  the  sun 
and  followed  it  with  all  the  plants  and  herbs  after  their  kind. 

Yet,  with  all  these  duties,  Blair  found  time  to  run  over 


346  RED   KOCK 

to  see  Miss  Thomasia  almost  every  day  or  two  ;  at  first  shy- 
ly and  at  rare  intervals,  but,  after  she  found  that  Jacque- 
lin  was  always  at  his  office,  oftener  and  more  freely.  She 
always  declared  that  a  visit  to  Miss  Thomasia  was  like 
reading  one  of  Scott's  novels  ;  that  she  got  back  to  a  land 
of  chivalry  and  drank  at  the  springs  of  pure  romance ; 
while  Miss  Thomasia  asserted  that  Blair  was  a  breath  of  May. 

Jacquelin,  after  a  time,  came  to  recognize  the  traces  of 
Blair's  visits,  in  the  little  touches  of  change  and  improve- 
ment about  the  house  :  a  pruned  rosebush  here,  a  fold  of 
white  curtain  there,  and  he  often  had  to  hear  her  praises 
sung  by  Miss  Thomasia's  guileless  tongue,  and  listen  to  the 
good  lady's  lament  because  Blair  and  Steve  did  not  proceed 
a  little  more  satisfactorily  with  their  affairs.  Miss  Thomasia 
had  an  idea  that  it  was  on  account  of  Steve's  former  reputa- 
tion for  wildness.  "  It  would  have  such  a  good  influence  on 
Steve,"  she  declared,  "  would  be  just  what  he  needed.  I 
quite  approve  of  a  young  lady  being  coy  and  maidenly,  but, 
of  course,  I  know  there  is  an  understanding  between  them, 
and  I  must  say,  I  think  Blair  is  carrying  it  too  far."  She 
bridled  as  she  always  did  at  the  thought  of  anyone  opposing 
Steve.  "I  know  that  a  man  is  sometimes  driven  by  a  young 
lady's  cruelty — apparent  cruelty — for  I  am  sure  Blair  would 
not  wittingly  injure  anyone — into  courses  very  sad  and  in- 
jurious to  him."  Miss  Thomasia  heaved  a  sigh  and  gazed 
out  of  the  window,  and  a  moment  later  resumed  her  knitting. 

"  Do  you  see  anything  of  that — young  lady,  Miss 
Welch  ?  "  she  asked  Jacquelin,  suddenly. 

Jacquelin  said  he  had  not  seen  her  for  some  time,  except 
at  church,  and  once  or  twice  in  the  village,  at  a  distance. 

"  I  did  not  suppose  you  had,"  said  Miss  Thomasia.  "  She 
is  a  very  nice,  refined  girl — has  always  been  very  sweet  to 
me  when  I  have  met  her — but  of  course — ."  Her  lips 
closed  firmly  and  she  began  to  knit  vigorously,  leaving 
Jacquelin  to  wonder  what  she  meant. 

"  I  only  wanted  to  know,"  she  said,  presently,  and  that 
was  the  only  explanation  she  gave. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

SOME   OF  THE   GRAIN"   MRS.    WELCH   REAPED 

THE  difference  in  the  attitude  of  their  neighbors  tow- 
ard them  was  felt  deeply  by  Major  and  Mrs.  Welch. 
Even  Dr.  Gary's  wonted  cordiality  had  given  place,  when  he 
met  Mrs.  Welch,  to  grave  and  formal  courtesy.  Toward 
Major  Welch  the  formality  was  less  marked,  while  toward 
Ruth  there  was  almost  the  same  warmth  and  friendliness 
that  had  existed  before  Mrs.  Welch's  letters  were  seen. 
Ruth  received  quite  as  many  invitations  as  before,  and 
when  she  met  her  neighbors  they  were  as  cordial  to  her  as 
ever.  She  was  conscious  that  this  difference  in  her  case 
was  intentional,  that  the  old  warmth  toward  her  was 
studied,  and  that  they  meant  her  to  feel  that  the  change 
in  their  attitude  did  not  extend  to  her.  Ruth,  however, 
was  far  too  loyal  to  her  own  to  accept  such  attentions  ;  so 
far  from  accepting,  she  resented  the  overtures  made  her, 
and  was  not  slow  in  letting  it  be  understood.  There 
were  one  or  two  exceptions  to  this  general  attitude.  For 
Blair  Gary  her  liking  deepened.  Blair  was  sweeter  than 
ever  to  her,  and  though  Ruth  felt  that  this  was  to  make 
up  to  her  for  the  coolness  of  others,  there  were  a  real 
warmth  and  a  true  sympathy  in  Blair,  and  a  delicacy  and 
charm  about  her  manner  of  showing  them  that  touched 
Ruth,  and  she  was  conscious  that  day  by  day  she  became 
drawn  more  and  more  closely  to  her.  She  felt  that  Blair 
understood  her  and  sympathized  with  her,  and  that,  if 
she  ever  chose  to  speak,  she  had  in  her  a  friend  on  whose 
bosom  she  could  fling  herself  and  find  consolement.  Such 

347 


348  BED   ROCK 

friendships  are  rare.     The  friend  with  whom  one  does  not 
have  to  make  explanations  is  God-given. 

With  her  other  neighbors  Ruth  stood  on  her  dignity,  in 
armed  guardfulness.  She  carried  her  head  higher  than 
she  had  ever  done  in  her  life,  and  responded  to  their 
advances  with  a  coldness  that  soon  gained  her  a  reputa- 
tion for  as  much  pride  as  she  could  have  desired,  if  not 
for  a  good  deal  of  temper.  Mrs.  Dockett  attempted  a 
sympathetic  manner  with  her,  and  if  subsequent  rumors 
were  any  indication,  that  redoubted  champion  did  not 
come  off  wholly  unscathed. 

"  The  little  minx  has  got  her  mother's  tongue,"  sniffed 
the  offended  lady.  "Why,  she  actually  snubbed  me — 
me  !  Think  of  her  daring  to  tell  me,  when  I  was  giving 
her  to  understand  that  we  knew  she  was  not  responsible 
for  any  of  the  insulting  things  that  had  been  said  about 
us,  that  she  always  agreed  with  her  mother  and  father  in 
everything ! — Which  Til  wager  she  doesn't,  unless  she's 
different  from  all  the  other  girls  I  know  !  And  away  she 
marched  with  her  little  mouth  pursed  up  and  her  head 
held  as  high  as  Captain  Allen's.  She'll  know  when  I  try 
to  be  civil  to  her  again  !  She's  getting  her  head  turned 
because  Captain  Allen  said  she  had  some  pretension  to 
good  looks." 

It  must  be  said,  though,  on  behalf  of  Mrs.  Dockett, 
that  after  the  first  smart  of  the  rebuff  she  had  received 
was  over,  she  liked  Ruth  none  the  less,  and  after  a  little 
while  used  to  tell  the  story  of  Ruth's  snubbing  her,  with 
a  very  humorous  take-off  of  Miss  Welch's  air  and  of  her 
own  confusion.  And  long  afterward  she  admitted  that 
the  first  time  she  really  liked  Ruth  Welch  was  when  she 
resented  her  condescension.  "  It  takes  a  good  woman — or 
man  either — to  stand  up  to  me,  you  know  !  "  she  said,  with 
a  twinkle  of  pride  and  amusement  in  her  bright  eyes. 

Mrs.  Dockett  was  not  by  any  means  the  only  one  to 
whom  the  young  lady  showed  her  resentment.  Ruth  felt 
her  isolation  keenly,  though  she  did  not  show  this  gen- 


SOME  OF  THE  GRAIN  MRS.   WELCH  REAPED      349 

erally,  except  in  a  new  hauteur.  She  not  only  gave  up 
visiting,  and  immersed  herself  in  the  home  duties  which 
devolved  upon  her  in  consequence  of  her  mother's  absorp- 
tion in  her  philanthropical  work,  but  she  suddenly  began 
to  take  a  much  deeper  interest  than  ever  before  in  that 
work  itself,  riding  about  and  visiting  the  poor  negroes  in 
whom  her  mother  was  interested,  and  extending  her  visits 
to  the  poorer  whites  as  well.  She  was  surprised  at  the  fre- 
quency with  which  she  met  Mrs.  Gary  and  Blair,  or,  if  she 
did  not  meet  them,  heard  of  their  visits  to  the  people 
she  was  attending.  Once  or  twice  she  met  Miss  Thoma- 
sia,  also,  accompanied  by  old  Peggy  as  her  escort.  "  I 
heard  that  the  fence  was  going  to  be  put  up  between  us 
and  old  Mrs.  Granger,"  explained  Miss  Thomasia,  "and  I 
am  such  a  poor  hand  at  climbing  fences,  I  am  trying  to 
see  her  as  often  as  I  can  before  it  is  done.  I  do  hope  the 
old  woman  will  die  before  it  is  put  up."  She  saw  the 
astonished  look  on  Ruth's  face  and  laughed  heartily. 
"  You  know  what  I  mean,  my  dear,  I  am  always  getting 
things  wrong.  But,  are  you  alone,  my  lear?" 

Euth  said  she  was  alone. 

"  I  don't  think  it  quite  right,"  said  Miss  Thomasia, 
shaking  her  head.  "  Steve,  I  am  sure,  would  be  very 
glad  to  accompany  you  on  any  of  your  visitations,  and  so 
would  Jacquelin."  She  was  perfectly  innocent,  but  Ruth 
was  incensed  to  find  herself  blushing  violently. 

It  happened  that  on  these  visitations,  more  than  once, 
Ruth  fell  in  with  Captain  Allen.  She  treated  him  with 
marked  coldness — with  actual  savageness,  Steve  declared 
afterward,  but  at  the  time,  it  must  be  said,  it  appeared  to 
have  little  apparent  effect  upon  that  gentleman.  Indeed,  it 
appeared  simply  to  amuse  him.  He  was  "  riding  about  on 
business,"  he  explained  to  her.  He  seemed  to  have  a  great 
deal  of  business  ' ( to  ride  about  on  "  of  late.  Ruth  always 
declined,  with  much  coolness,  his  request  to  be  allowed  to 
escort  her,  but  her  refusal  did  not  seem  to  offend  him,  and 
he  would  turn  up  unexpectedly  the  next  time  she  rode  out 


350  RED   ROCK 

alone,  cheerful  and  amused.  (One  singular  thing  was 
that  she  rarely  saw  him  when  she  was  accompanied  by  her 
father.)  Still  she  did  not  stop  riding.  She  did  not  see 
why  she  should  give  up  her  visits  of  philanthropy,  simply 
because  Captain  Allen  also  happened  to  have  business  to 
attend  to.  She  began  to  be  conscious  that  sometimes  she 
even  felt  disappointed  if  on  her  rides  she  did  not  see  him 
somewhere,  and  she  hated  herself  for  this,  and  took  to  dis- 
ciplining herself  for  it  by  riding  on  unfrequented  roads. 
Yet  even  here,  now  and  then,  Captain  Allen  passed  her, 
and  she  began  to  feel  as  if  he  were  in  some  sort  doing  it 
to  protect  her.  On  one  occasion  when  he  found  her  on  a 
somewhat  lonely  road,  he  took  her  to  task  for  riding  so 
much  alone,  and  told  her  that  she  ought  not  to  do  it.  She 
was  secretly  pleased,  but  fired  up  at  his  manner. 

"  Why?  "     She  looked  him  defiantly  in  the  eyes. 

He  appeared  confused. 

"Why — because —  Suppose  you  should  lose  your  way, 
what  would  you  do?"  She  saw  that  this  was  not  his 
reason. 

"  I  should  ask  someone,"  she  answered,  coolly. 

" But  whom  would  you  ask?  There  is  no  one — except 
one  old  woman,  my  old  Mammy  Peggy  who  lives  down  in 
this  direction — who  lives  anywhere  between  the  old  road 
that  is  now  stopped  up  and  the  creek,  and  farther  back  is 
a  through-cut  to  the  Bend,  which  you  crossed,  along  which 
some  of  the  worst  characters  in  the  County  travel.  They 
do  not  come  this  side  of  the  creek,  for  they  are  afraid ; 
I  assure  you  that  it  is  not  safe  for  you  to  be  riding  about 
through  the  woods  in  this  way  at  this  time  of  the  evening, 
by  yourself." 

"Why,  I  see  this  path — someone  must  travel  it?"  Ruth 
said.  She  knew  that  somewhere  down  in  that  direction 
was  the  old  hospital-place,  which  the  negroes  said  was 
haunted,  and  which  was  rumored  to  be  the  meeting-place 
of  the  Ku  Klux.  Steve  looked  a  little  confused. 

«Yes " 


SOME   OF   THE   GRAIN   MES.    WELCH   EEAPED      351 

"And  if  no  one  is  down  here,  there  cannot  any  harm 
come  to  me/'  She  enjoyed  her  triumph. 

t(  Yet — but  you  don't  understand.  People  pass  this 
way  going  backwards  and  forwards  from — from  the  Bend — 
and  elsewhere,  and — "  He  broke  off.  "You  must  trust 
me  and  take  my  word  for  it,"  he  said,  firmly.  "It  is  not 
right  for  you ;  it  is  not  safe."  He  was  so  earnest  that 
Ruth  could  not  help  feeling  the  force  of  what  he  said,  and 
she  was  af  heart  secretly  pleased,  yet  she  resented  his  atti- 
tude. 

"Whom  should  I  be  afraid  of?  Of  the  Ku  Klux?" 
She  was  pleased  to  see  him  flush.  But  when  he  answered 
her  he  spoke  seriously  : 

"  Miss  Welch,  there  are  no  Ku  Klux  here — there  never 
were  any — except  once  for  a  little  while,"  he  corrected 
himself,  "and  there  is  not  one  in  the  County  or  in  the 
South  who  would  do  you  an  injury,  or  with  whom,  if  you 
were  thrown,  you  would  not  be  as  safe  as  if  you  were 
guarded  by  a  regiment." 

Ruth  felt  that  he  was  telling  the  truth,  and  she  was  con- 
scious of  the  effect  he  had  on  her.  Yet  she  rebelled,  and 
she  could  not  resist  firing  a  shot  at  him. 

" Thank  you,"  she  said,  mockingly.  "I  am  relieved  to 
know  they  will  not  murder  ladies."  Steve  flushed  hotly, 
and,  before  he  could  answer,  she  pressed  her  advantage 
with  delight. 

"Could  you  not  persuade  them  to  extend  their  clem- 
ency to  other  poor  defenceless  creatures?  Poor  negroes, 
for  example  ?  You  say  there  never  were  any  Ku  Klux  in 
this  County ;  how  about  that  night  when  the  State  militia 
were  raided  and  their  arms  taken  from  them,  and  when 
poor  defenceless  women  were  frightened  to  death.  Were 
the  men  who  did  that  really  ghosts?" 

She  looked  at  Steve  and  was  struck  with  a  pang  that 
she  should  have  allowed  herself  to  be  carried  so  far.  She 
had  meant  only  to  sting  him  and  revenge  herself,  but  she 
had  struck  deeper  than  she  had  intended.  The  look  on 


352  BED  KOCK 

Steve's  face  really  awed  her,  and  when  he  spoke  the  tone 
in  his  voice  was  different  from  any  she  had  ever  heard 
in  it. 

"  Miss  Welch,  I  did  not  say  there  had  never  been  any 
Ku  Klux  in  this  County — you  misunderstood  me.  I  said 
there  had  never  heen  any  but  once.  I  myself  organized  a 
band  of  Ku  Klux  regulators — '  a  den/  as  we  called  it,  in 
this  County — and  we  made  one  raid — the  raid  you  speak 
of,  when  we  took  the  arms  from  the  negroes.  I  led  that 
raid.  I  organized  it  and  led  it,  because  I  deemed  it  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  our  protection  at  the  time — for  our 
salvation.  No  one  was  seriously  hurt — no  women  were 
frightened  to  death,  as  you  say.  It  is  true  that  some  wom- 
en were  frightened,  and,  no  doubt,  frightened  badly,  at 
the  pranks  played  that  night.  We  meant  to  frighten  the 
men ;  if  necessary  we  should  have  killed  them — the  lead- 
ers— but  never  to  frighten  the  women.  Under  the  excite- 
ment of  such  an  occasion,  where  there  were  hundreds  of 
young  men,  some  full  of  fun,  others  wild  and  reckless, 
some  unauthorized  acts  were  committed.  It  had  been  at- 
tempted to  guard  against  them,  but  some  men  overstepped 
the  bounds  and  there  were  undoubtedly  unjustifiable  acts 
committed  under  cover  of  the  disguise  adopted.  But  no 
lives  were  taken  and  no  great  violence  was  done.  The 
reports  you  have  heard  of  it  were  untrue.  I  give  you  my 
word  of  honor  as  to  this.  That  is  the  only  time  there  has 
been  a  raid  by  Ku  Klux  in  this  County — and  the  only  time 
there  will  be  one.  We  accomplished  our  purpose,  and  we 
proved  what  we  could  do.  The  effect  was  salutary.  But 
I  found  that  the  blackguards  and  sneaks  could  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  disguise,  and  under  the  disguise  wreak  their 
private  spite,  and  by  common  consent  the  den  was  dis- 
banded soon  after  that  night.  There  have  been  ruffianly 
acts  committed  since  that  time  by  men  disguised  as  Ku 
Klux  ;  but  not  one  of  the  men  who  were  in  that  raid,  so 
far  as  I  know,  was  concerned  in  them  or  has  ever  worn 
the  disguise  since  then.  They  have  sworn  solemnly  not 


SOME   OF  THE  GRAIN  MRS.    WELCH   REAPED      353 

to  do  so.  At  least  only  one — I  am  not  sure  as  to  one/'  he 
said,  almost  in  reverie  ;  "  but  he  is  an  outsider.  The  place 
where  they  met  is  the  old  plantation  down  here  on  the 
river  ;  this  path  leads  to  it,  and  at  the  top  of  the  next  hill 
I  can  show  you  the  house.  It  is  only  a  ruin,  and  was  se- 
lected by  me  because  the  stories  connected  with  it  pro- 
tected it  from  the  curiosity  of  the  negroes,  and  in  case  of 
invasion  the  woods  around,  with  their  paths,  furnished  a 
ready  means  of  escape. 

"  I  have  told  you  the  whole  story  and  told  you  the  truth 
absolutely,  and  I  hope  you  will  do  me  the  honor  to  be- 
lieve me."  His  manner  and  voice  were  so  grave  that  Kuth 
had  long  lost  all  her  resentment. 

"  I  do/'  she  said,  "and  I  beg  your  pardon  for  what  I 
said/' 

He  bowed.     They  had  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill. 

"  There  is  the  house/'  He  held  a  bough  aside  and  in- 
dicated a  large  rambling  mansion  below  them,  almost  con- 
cealed on  one  side  by  the  dense  growth,  while  the  other  side 
appeared  to  be  simply  a  ruin.  It  lay  in  a  cleft  between 
two  wooded  hills  around  the  base  of  which  ran  the  river, 
and  seemed  as  desolate  a  place  as  Ruth  had  ever  seen. 

"My  showing  it  to  you  is  a  proof  that  '  the  den'  is 
broken  up.  Now  we  will  go  back." 

"I  did  not  need  it/' she  said,  "and  I  will  never  tell 
anyone  that  I  have  ever  seen  it." 

To  this  Captain  Allen  made  no  response. 

"  I  must  see  you  safely  back  to  the  main  road,"  he  said, 
gravely. 

Ruth  felt  that  she  had  struck  him  deeply,  and  as  they 
rode  along  she  cast  about  in  her  mind  for  some  way  to 
lead  up  to  an  explanation.  It  did  not  come,  however,  and 
at  the  main  road,  when  her  gate  was  in  sight,  Captain  Allen 
pulled  in  his  horse  and  lifted  his  hat. 

"Good-by." 

"  Good-evening.  I  will  think  of  what  you  said,"  she  be- 
gan, meaning  what  he  had  said  about  her  riding  out  alone. 


354  RED    ROCK 

"  I  would  at  least  like  you  to  think  of  me  as  a  gentle- 
man." He  bowed  gravely,  and  lifting  his  hat  again, 
turned  and  rode  slowly  away. 

Kuth  rode  home,  her  mind  filled  with  conflicting  emo- 
tions. Among  them  was  anger,  first  with  herself  and  af- 
terward with  Captain  Allen. 

Miss  Welch,  on  her  arrival  at  home  that  evening,  was  in 
a  singular  frame  of  mind,  and  was  as  nearly  at  war  with 
everyone  as  it  is  possible  for  a  really  sweet-tempered  gin 
to  be.  Dr.  Washington  Still  had  called  in  her  absence 
and  proffered  his  professional  services  for  any  of  her  pa- 
tients. She  broke  out  against  him  vehemently,  and  when 
her  mother,  who  was  in  a  mollified  state  of  mind  toward  the 
young  man,  undertook  to  defend  him,  Ruth  attacked  the 
whole  Still  family — and  connections — except  Virgy,  whom 
she  admitted  to  be  a  poor  little  kind-hearted  thing,  and 
shocked  her  mother  by  denouncing  warmly  the  stories  of 
the  Ku  Klux  outrages  and  declaring  openly  that  she  did 
not  believe  there  had  ever  been  any  Ku  Klux  in  the 
County,  except  on  the  one  occasion  when  they  had  dis- 
armed the  negro  militia — and  that  she  thought  they 
had  done  exactly  right,  and  just  what  she  would  have  had 
them  do. 

Mrs.  Welch  was  too  much  shocked  to  do  anything  but 
gasp. 

"  Oh  !  Ruth,  Ruth,"  she  groaned.  "  That  ever  my  daugh- 
ter should  say  such  things  ! "  But  Miss  Ruth  was  too  ex- 
cited for  control  just  then.  She  launched  out  yet  more 
warmly  and  shocked  her  mother  by  yet  more  heretical 
views,  until  suddenly,  moved  by  her  mother's  real  pain, 
she  flung  herself  into  her  arms  in  a  passion  of  remorse  and 
tears,  and  declared  that  she  did  not  mean  half  of  what 
she  had  said,  but  was  a  wicked,  bad  girl  who  did  not  ap- 
preciate the  best  and  kindest  of  mothers. 

A  few  days  afterward,  the  man  known  as  the  trick-doc- 
tor, who  called  himself  "  Doctor  Moses,"  came  to  Major 
Welch's  and  told  a  pitiful  story  of  an  old  woman's  poverty. 


SOME   OF   THE   GRAIN   MRS.    WELCH   REAPED      355 

Mrs.  Welch  gave  him  some  sugar,  coffee,  and  other  things 
for  her,  but  he  asked  the  ladies  to  go  and  see  her.  She 
lived  "all  by  herself,  mostly,  and  hones  to  see  the  good 
white  folks,"  he  said. 

"  Ef  my  young  Mistis  would  be  so  kind  as  to  go  and 
see  her  some  evenin'  I  will  show  her  de  way."  He  looked 
at  Euth,  with  a  low  bow  and  that  smile  and  uneasy  look 
which  always  reminded  her  of  a  hyena  in  a  cage. 

They  promised  to  go  immediately,  and  he  undertook  to 
describe  the  road  to  them. 

It  was  too  bad  to  drive  a  carriage  over — you  had  to  ride 
on  horseback  ;  but  his  young  Mistress  would  find  it,  she 
was  such  a  good  rider. 

Euth  could  never  bear  the  sight  of  the  negro  ;  he  was 
the  most  repulsive  creature  to  her  that  she  had  ever  seen. 
Yet  it  happened,  that  from  his  description  of  the  place 
where  the  old  woman  lived  and  of  the  road  that  led  there, 
she  was  sure  it  was  the  same  old  woman  whom  Captain 
Allen  had  mentioned  to  her,  that  afternoon,  as  having  been 
his  mammy,  and  as  the  one  person  who  lived  on  the  de- 
serted plantation.  And  this,  or  some  other  reason — for  the 
writer  by  no  means  wishes  to  be  positive  in  assigning  a 
woman's  reason — determined  Euth  to  go  and  see  her.  She 
had  expected  her  father  to  accompany  her,  as  he  frequently 
did  so,  but  it  happened  that  day  that  he  was  called  away 
from  home,  and  as  her  mother  received  another  urgent  call 
that  morning  to  go  and  see  a  sick  child,  Euth  had  either  to 
postpone  her  visit  or  go  alone.  She  chose  the  latter  alter- 
native, and  as  soon  as  the  afternoon  had  cooled  a  little,  she 
started  off  on  horseback. 

Ever  since  her  interview  with  Captain  Allen,  she  had 
been  chafing  under  the  sense  of  obeying  his  command  that 
she  should  not  ride  through  the  woods  alone.  It  was  less 
a  request  than  a  command  he  had  given  her.  She  had  not 
ridden  out  alone  since  that  evening — at  least,  she  had  not 
ridden  through  the  wood-roads ;  she  had  stuck  to  the  high- 
ways, and  she  felt  a  sense  of  resentment  that  she  had  done 


356  BED   ROCK 

so.  What  right  had  Captain  Allen  to  issue  orders  to  her  ? 
She  would  now  show  him  that  they  had  no  effect  on  her. 
She  would  not  only  go  against  his  wishes,  but  would  go  to 
the  very  place  he  had  especially  cautioned  her  against.  She 
would  see  that  old  woman  who  had  once  belonged  to  him, 
and  perhaps  the  old  woman  would  some  time  tell  him  she 
had  been  there. 

Knth  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  her  way.  She  knew  the 
road  well  as  far  as  the  point  where  the  disused  road  led 
off  from  the  highway,  and  she  had  a  good  idea  of  direc- 
tion. There  she  turned  into  the  track  that  took  her  down 
toward  the  abandoned  plantation,  and  crossed  the  zigzag 
path  that  she  knew  cut  through  the  pines  and  led  down 
to  the  Bend.  She  remembered  Captain  Allen's  pointing  it 
out  to  her  that  afternoon,  and  as  she  approached  the  path 
she  galloped  her  horse  rapidly,  conscious  of  a  feeling  of 
exhilaration  as  she  neared  it.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  farther 
on,  the  thought  occurred  to  her  that  it  was  cowardice  to 
ride  rapidly.  "Why  should  she  do  so  ?  And  though  there 
was  a  cloud  rising  in  the  west,  she  pulled  her  horse  down 
to  a  walk.  The  woods  were  beautiful  and  were  filled  with 
the  odors  of  grape-blossoms  ;  the  path  was  descending, 
which  assured  her  that  she  was  on  the  right  track.  A  lit- 
tle farther  on,  as  it  had  been  described  to  her,  it  should 
cross  a  stream ;  so  she  was  pleased  to  see  below  her,  at 
the  bottom  of  a  little  ravine,  the  thicket  through  which  the 
stream  ran.  She  rode  down  into  the  ravine  and  to  the 
stream.  To  her  surprise  the  path  appeared  suddenly  to 
stop  at  the  water's  edge.  There  was  no  outlet  on  the  other 
side  ;  simply  a  wall  of  bushes.  Suddenly  her  horse  threw 
up  his  head  and  started  violently.  At  the  same  moment  a 
slight  noise  behind  her  attracted  Ruth's  attention.  She 
turned,  and  in  the  path  behind  her  stood  the  negro,  Moses. 

The  blood  deserted  Ruth's  face.  He  had  always  made 
her  flesh  creep,  as  if  he  had  been  a  reptile.  She  had  often 
found  him  on  the  side  of  the  road  as  she  passed  along,  or 
had  turned  and  seen  him  come  out  of  the  woods  behind 


SOME   OF  THE   GRAIN  MRS.    WELCH   REAPED      357 

her,  but  she  had  never  been  so  close  to  him  before  when 
alone.  And  now  to  find  herself  face  to  face  with  him  in 
that  lonely  place  made  her  heart  almost  stop.  After  re- 
garding her  for  a  moment  silently,  the  negro  began  to 
move  slowly  forward,  bowing  and  halting  with  that  peculiar 
limp  which  always  reminded  Ruth 'of  a  species  of  worm. 
She  would  have  fled  ;  but  she  saw  in  an  instant  that  there 
was  no  way  of  escape.  The  bushes  on  either  side  were  like 
a  wall.  The  same  idea  must  have  passed  through  the  man's 
mind.  A  curious  smirk  was  on  his  evil  face. 

"  My  Mistis,"  he  said,  with  a  grin  that  showed  his  yel- 
low teeth  and  horrid  gums. 

"  The  path  seems  to  end  here,"  said  Ruth,  with  an  effort 
commanding  her  voice. 

"  Yes,  my  Mistis  ;  but  I  will  show  you  de  way.  Old 
Moses  will  show  you  de  way.  He-he-he/'  His  voice  had 
a  singular  feline  quality  in  it.  It  made  Ruth's  blood  run 
cold. 

"  No — thank  you — I  can  find  it — I  shall  go  back  up  here 
and  look  for  it."  She  urged  her  horse  back  up  the  path  to 
pass  him.  But  the  negro  stepped  before  the  horse  and 
blocked  the  way. 

"  Nor'm — dat  ain't  de  way.  I'll  show  you  de  way.  Jes' 
let  Doctor  Moses  show  you."  He  gave  his  snicker  again, 
moved  closer  and  put  his  hand  on  her  bridle. 

This  act  changed  the  girl's  fear  to  anger.  "  Let  go  my 
bridle,  instantly  ! "  Her  voice  rose  suddenly.  The  tone 
of  command  took  the  negro  by  surprise  and  he  dropped  his 
hand ;  the  next  second,  however,  he  caught  her  bridle 
again,  so  roughly  that  her  horse  reared  and  started  back, 
and  if  Ruth  had  not  been  a  good  rider  she  would  have 
fallen  from  the  saddle. 

"  I'm  gwine  to  show  you."  His  tone  was  now  different. 
He  clung  to  the  bridle  of  the  frightened  horse.  His  counte- 
nance had  changed. 

Raising  her  rid  ing- whip,  Ruth  struck  him  with  all  her 
might  across  the  face. 


358  RED   ROCK 

(t  Let  go  my  bridle  !  "  she  cried. 

He  gave  a  snarl  of  rage  and  sprang  at  her  like  a  wild 
beast ;  but  her  horse  whirled  and  slung  him  from  his  feet 
and  he  missed  her,  only  tearing  her  skirt.  It  seemed  to 
Euth  at.that  moment  that  she  heard  the  sound  of  a  horse 
galloping  somewhere,  and  she  gave  a  scream.  It  was  an- 
swered instantly  by  a  shout  back  over  the  hill  on  the  path 
along  which  she  had  come,  and  the  next  moment  was  heard 
the  swift  rush  of  a  horse  tearing  along  on  the  muffled 
wood-path  back  in  the  woods. 

The  negro  caught  the  sound,  as  he  turned  to  seize  Ruth's 
bridle  again,  stopped  short  and  listened  intently,  then,  sud- 
denly wheeling,  plunged  into  the  bushes  and  went  crashing 
away.  That  same  instant,  the  horseman  dashed  over  the 
crest  of  the  hill  and  came  rushing  down  the  path,  scatter- 
ing the  stones  before  him.  And  before  Ruth  could  take  it 
in,  Steve  Allen,  his  face  whiter  than  she  had  ever  seen  it, 
was  at  her  side. 

"  What  is  it  ?    Who  was  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Nothing.     Oh  !     He  frightened  me  so,"  she  panted. 

"  Who  ?  "    His  voice  was  imperious. 

"That  negro." 

"  What  negro  ?" 

"  The  one  they  call  Moses — Doctor  Moses." 

The  look  that  came  into  Steve's  face  was  for  a  second 
almost  terrifying.  The  next  moment,  with  an  effort,  he 
controlled  himself. 

"  Oh  !  it  was  nothing,"  he  said,  lightly.  "  He  is  an  im- 
pudent dog,  and  must  be  taught  manners ;  but  don't  be 
frightened.  No  one  shall  hurt  you."  His  voice  had  sud- 
denly grown  gentle  and  soothing,  and  he  led  Ruth  from 
the  subject,  talking  lightly,  and  calming  her. 

"  I  told  you  not  to  come  here  alone,  you  know  ?  "  he  said, 
lightly. 

His  manner  reassured  Ruth,  and  she  almost  smiled  as 
she  said : 

"  I  thought  that  was  a  woman's  revenge." 


SOME   OF  THE   GRAIN   MRS.    WELCH   REAPED      359 

"  I  did  not  mean  it  for  revenge  ;  but  I  want  you  to  prom- 
ise me  now  you  will  never  do  it  again.  Or  if  you  will  not 
promise  me,  I  want  you  to  promise  yourself." 

"  I  will  promise  you,"  said  Kuth.  She  went  on  to  ex- 
plain why  she  came. 

' '  The  old  woman  you  speak  of  wants  nothing,"  he  said, 
"  and  you  have  passed  the  path  that  leads  to  her  house. 
That  negro  misled — you  did  not  take  the  right  road  to 
reach  her  place.  You  should  have  turned  off,  some  dis- 
tance back.  It  was  a  mere  chance — simple  Providence, 
that  I  came  this  way  and  saw  your  track  and  followed  you. 
If  you  wish  to  see  my  old  Mammy  I  will  show  you  the  way. 
It  is  the  nearest  house,  and  the  only  one  we  can  reach 
before  that  storm  comes,  and  we  shall  have  to  hurry  even  to 
get  there." 

Euth  looked  over  her  shoulder,  and  was  frightened  at 
the  blackness  of  the  cloud  that  had  gathered.  There  was 
a  dense  stillness,  and  the  air  was  murky  and  hot.  Almost 
at  the  moment  she  looked,  a  streak  of  flame  darted  from  the 
cloud  and  a  terrific  peal  of  thunder  followed  immediately, 
showing  that  the  storm  was  close  on  them. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  and,  catching  her  bridle,  Captain 
Allen  headed  her  horse  up  the  hill.  "  Mind  the  bushes. 
Keep  him  well  in  hand  ;  but  put  him  out." 

Ruth  urged  the  horse,  and  gave  him  the  rein,  and  they 
dashed  up  the  hill,  Steve  close  at  her  horse's  flank.  It 
was  to  be  a  close  graze,  even  if  they  escaped  at  all ;  for  the 
rising  wind,  coming  in  a  strong  blast,  was  beginning  to 
rush  through  the  woods,  making  the  trees  bend  and  creak. 
The  bushes  swept  past  her,  and  dragged  Ruth's  hat  from  her 
head.  "  Keep  on  !  I'll  get  it  !"  called  Steve,  and  leaning 
from  his  saddle  he  picked  it  from  the  ground,  and  in  a 
moment  was  up  with  her  again.  The  thunder  was  begin- 
ning to  crash  just  above  their  heads,  and  as  they  dashed 
along,  the  air  was  filled  with  flying  leaves  and  small  boughs, 
and  big  drops  were  beginning  to  spatter  on  them  as  if 
driven  from  a  gun.  Ruth  heard  Steve's  voice,  but  could 


360  BED  BOOK 

not,  in  the  roar  of  the  wind,  tell  what  he  said.  The  next 
instant  he  was  beside  her,  his  hand  outstretched  to  steady 
her  horse.  She  could  not  distinguish  his  words  ;  but  saw 
that  he  meant  her  to  pull  in,  and  she  did  so.  The  next 
second  they  were  at  a  path  which  led  off  at  an  angle  from 
that  they  were  on.  Steve  turned  her  horse  into  it,  and  a 
moment  later  there  appeared  a  small  clearing,  on  the  other 
side  of  which  was  an  old  cabin.  That  instant,  however, 
the  cloud  burst  upon  them,  and  the  rain  came  in  a  sheet. 
Before  Kuth  could  stop  her  horse  at  the  door,  Steve  was  on 
the  ground  and  had  lifted  her  down  as  if  she  had  been  a 
child. 

"  Eun  in,"  he  said,  and  it  never  occurred  to  her  to  op- 
pose him.  Holding  both  horses  with  one  hand,  Steve 
reached  across  and  pushed  open  the  door,  and  put  her  in. 
An  old  negro  woman,  the  only  occupant,  was  facing  her, 
just  as  she  had  risen  from  her  chair  by  the  fire,  her  small 
black  eyes  wide  with  surprise  at  the  unexpected  entrance. 
The  next  moment  she  advanced  toward  Ruth. 

"  Come  in,  Mistis.     Is  you  wet  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Thank  you — why,  yes — I  am  rather — But "  Ruth 

turned  to  the  door.  She  was  thinking  of  her  companion, 
who  was  still  out  in  the  storm  that  was  driving  against  the 
house. 

"  Yes,  to  be  sho'  you  is.  I'll  shet  de  do'."  The  old  ne- 
gress  moved  to  push  it  closer  to. 

"  No,  don't !  "  cried  Ruth.     "  He  is  out  there." 

"  Who  ?    Don't  you  go  out  dyah,  Mistis." 

She  restrained  Ruth,  who  was  about  to  go  out  again. 
But  the  door  was  pushed  open  from  the  outside,  and  Steve, 
dripping  wet,  with  a  pile  of  broken  pieces  of  old  rails  in 
his  arms  and  Ruth's  saddle  in  his  hand,  came  in. 

"  Marse  Steve  !  My  chile  !  Fo  de  L — d  ! "  exclaimed  the 
old  woman.  "  Ain't  you  mighty  wet  ?  "  She  had  left  Ruth, 
and  was  feeling  Steve's  arms  and  back. 

"  Wet  ?  No,  I'm  as  dry  as  a  bone,"  laughed  Steve. 
"  Here — make  up  a  good  fire."  He  threw  the  wood  on  the 


SOME   OF  THE  GRAIN  MRS.   WELCH  REAPED      361 

hearth  and  began  to  pile  it  on  the  fire,  which  had  been  al- 
most extinguished  by  the  rain  that  came  down  the  big 
chimney.  "Dry  that  young  lady.  Fve  got  to  go  out  I" 
He  turned  to  the  door  again. 

"  No — please  !  You  must  not  go  out ! "  cried  Ruth, 
taking  a  step  toward  him. 

"  I  have  to  go  to  see  after  the  horses.  I  must  fasten 
them/' 

"  Please  don't.  They  are  all  right.  I  don't  want  you  to 
go  ! "  She  faced  him  boldly.  "  Please  don't,  for  my  sake  ! " 
she  pleaded. 

Steve  hesitated,  and  looked  about  him. 

"  I  shall  be  wretched  if  you  go  out."  Her  face  and  voice 
proved  the  truth  of  her  assertion. 

"  I  must  go.  I  am  already  soaking  wet ;  but  I'll  come 
back  directly."  His  voice  was  cheerful,  and  before  Ruth 
could  beg  him  again,  with  a  sign  to  the  old  woman  he  was 
gone,  and  had  pulled  the  door  close  to  behind  him. 

"  Heah,  he  say  I  is  to  dry  you,"  said  the  old  Mammy, 
and  she  set  a  chair  before  the  fire  and  gently  but  firmly 
put  Ruth  in  it,  and  proceeded  to  feel  her  shoes  and  clothing. 
"  Dat's  my  young  master — my  chile,"  she  said,  with  pride, 
and  in  answer  to  Ruth's  expostulations.  "  You're  'bliged 
to  do  what  he  say,  you  know.  He'll  be  back  torectly." 

Ruth  felt  that  the  only  way  to  induce  Captain  Allen  to 
come  in  out  of  the  storm  was  to  get  dried  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible ;  so  she  set  to  work  to  help  the  old  woman.  Steve  did 
not  come  back  directly,  however,  nor  for  some  time,  and 
not  until  Ruth  sent  him  word  that  she  was  dry,  and  he 
must  come  in  or  she  would  go  out.  Then  he  entered,  laugh- 
ing at  the  idea  that  a  rain. meant  anything  to  him. 

"  Why,  I  am  an  old  soldier.  I  have  slept  in  such  a  rain 
as  that,  night  after  night,  and  as  soundly  as  a  baby.  I  en- 
joy it."  His  face,  as  he  looked  at  Ruth  sitting  before  the 
fire,  showed  that  he  enjoyed  something.  And  as  the  girl  sat 
there,  her  long  hair  down,  her  eyes  filled  with  solicitude, 
and  the  bright  firelight  from  the  blazing,  resinous  pine 


362  RED   BOCK 

shining  on  her  and  lighting  up  the  dingy  little  room,  she 
made  a  picture  to  enjoy. 

Old  Peggy,  bending  over  her  and  ministering  to  her  with 
pleased  officiousness,  caught  something  of  the  feeling.  A 
gleam  of  shrewdness  had  come  into  her  sharp,  black  eyes. 

"  Marse  Steve,  is  dis  your  lady  ?"  she  asked,  suddenly, 
with  an  admiring  look  at  Ruth,  whose  cheeks  flamed. 

"  No — not — "  Steve  did  not  finish  the  sentence.  "  What 
made  you  think  so  ?  "  He  looked  very  pleased. 

"  She  so  consarned  about  you.  She  certainly  is  pretty," 
she  said,  simply. 

Euth  was  blushing  violently,  and  Steve  said : 

"I'm  not  good  enough,  Mammy,  for  any  lady/' 

"  Go  'way,  Marse  Steve  !  You  know  you  good  'nough 
for  anybody.  Don't  you  b'lieve  him,  young  Mistis.  I 
helt  him  in  dese  arms  when  he  wa'  n't  so  big  ; "  she  meas- 
ured a  length  hardly  above  a  span,  "  and  I  knows." 

Ruth  thought  so  too  just  then,  but  she  did  not  know 
what  to  say.  Fortunately  Steve  came  to  her  rescue. 

"  Mammy,  you're  the  only  woman  in  the  world  that 
thinks  that." 

"  I  know  better  'n  dat ! "  declared  the  old  woman,  em- 
phatically. "  You  does  too,  don't  you,  my  Mistis  ?  "  At 
which  Ruth  stammered,  "Why,  yes,"  and  only  blushed 
the  more.  She  looked  so  really  distressed  that  Steve  said  : 

"  Come,  Mammy,  you  mustn't  embarrass  your  young 
Mistress." 

"  Nor,  indeed — dat  I  won't.  But  you  see  dyah,  you 
done  call  her  my  young  Mistis  !  "  laughed  the  old  woman, 
enjoying  hugely  the  confusion  of  both  her  visitors. 

It  was  time  to  go,  Steve  said.  So  as  the  storm  had  passed, 
they  came  out  and  he  saddled  Ruth's  horse  and  handed 
her  into  the  saddle.  He  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  old 
woman,  to  which  she  gave  a  quick  affirmative  reply.  As 
they  rode  off,  she  said,  "  You  mus'  come  again,"  whith 
both  of  them  promised  and  doubtless  intended  to  dp. 

The  woods  were  sparkling  with  the  raindrops,  and  the 


SOME   OF  THE   GRAIN   MRS.   WELCH   REAPED      363 

sky  was  as  if  it  had  just  been  newly  washed  and  burnished, 
and  the  earth  was  covered  with  water  which  shone  in  the 
light  of  the  setting  sun,  like  pools  of  crystal. 

Steve  bade  Miss  Welch  good-by  at  her  gate.  He  had 
scarcely  gotten  out  of  sight  of  her  when  he  changed  his 
easy  canter  to  a  long  gallop,  and  a  look  of  grim  determi- 
nation deepened  on  his  face.  At  the  first  byway  he  turned 
off  from  the  main-road  and  made  his  way  by  bridle-paths 
back  to  the  point  where  he  had  rescued  Miss  Welch. 
Here  he  tied  his  horse  and  began  to  examine  the  bushes 
carefully.  He  was  able  at  first  to  follow  the  track  that 
the  negro  had  made  in  his  flight ;  but  after  a  little  distance 
it  became  more  difficult.  The  storm  had  obliterated  the 
traces.  So  Steve  returned  to  the  point  where  he  had  left 
his  horse,  remounted  and  rode  away.  He  visited  Andy 
Stamper's  and  several  other  plantations,  at  all  of  which  he 
stopped,  but  only  for  a  few  moments  to  speak  a  word  or 
two  to  the  men  at  each,  and  then  galloped  on  to  the  next, 
his  face  still  grim  and  his  voice  intense  with  determination. 

That  night  a  small  band  of  horsemen  rode  through  the 
Bend,  visiting  house  after  house.  They  asked  for  Moses, 
the  trick-doctor.  But  Moses  was  not  there.  He  had  left 
early  the  morning  before,  their  informants  said,  and  had 
not  been  back  since.  There  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  truth 
of  this.  There  was  something  about  that  body  of  horse- 
men, small  though  it  was,  riding  in  pairs,  that  impressed 
whomever  they  accosted,  and  it  was  evident  that  their  in- 
formants meant  to  tell  the  truth.  If,  on  the  first  sum- 
mons at  a  door,  the  inmates  peered  out  curious  and  loud- 
mouthed, they  quieted  down  at  the  first  glance  at  the 
silent  horsemen  outside. 

"What  you  want  with  him  ?"  asked  one  of  the  men, 
inquisitively.  Almost  instantly,  as  if  by  machinery,  two 
horsemen  moved  silently  in  behind  him  and  cut  him  out 
from  the  group  behind.  "  You  know  where  he  is  ? 
Come  along."  Their  hands  were  on  his  collar. 

"  Nor,  suh,  b'fo'  Gord  I  don't,  gentmens,"  protested  the 


364  BED  BOCK 

negro,  almost  paralyzed  with  fright.  "I  didn't  mean 
nuttin'  in  the  worP,  gentmens." 

At  a  sign  from  the  leader  he  was  released,  and  was  glad 
to  slip  back  into  obscurity  behind  the  rest  of  the  awe- 
struck group,  till  the  horsemen  rode  on. 

It  was,  no  doubt,  well  for  the  trick-doctor  that  his 
shrewdness  had  kept  him  from  his  accustomed  haunts  that 
night.  He  visited  the  Bend  secretly  a  night  or  two  later  ; 
but  only  for  a  short  time,  and  before  morning  broke  he 
was  far  away,  following  the  woodland  paths,  moving  at  his 
swift,  halting  pace,  which  hour  by  hour  was  placing  miles 
between  him  and  the  danger  he  had  discovered.  Thus  the 
County  for  a  time,  at  least,  was  rid  of  his  presence,  and 
both  white  and  blacks  breathed  freer. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

JACQUELIN     GRAY    LEARNS    THAT    HE    IS     A     FOOL,    AND 
STEVE   ASTONISHES   MAJOR   WELCH 

THE  bill  in  Jacquelin's  suit  against  Mr.  Still  was  not  filed 
for  some  time  after  the  notice  was  sent  and  the  suit  insti- 
tuted. But  this  period  was  utilized  by  Steve  and  Jacque- 
lin  in  hunting  up  evidence  ;  and  by  Mr.  Still  in  holding  con- 
ferences with  Leech  and  the  officers  of  the  court.  Mean- 
while Steve  Allen  had  met  the  Welches  several  times,  and 
although  there  was  a  perceptible  coolness  in  their  manner 
to  him,  yet  civilities  were  kept  up.  As  for  Steve  himself,  he 
went  on  just  as  he  had  done  before,  ignoring  the  change 
and  apparently  perfectly  oblivious  of  the  chilliness  with 
which  he  was  received. 

Yet  Steve  appeared  to  have  changed.  His  old  cheerful- 
ness and  joviality  seemed  to  have  gone,  and  he  was  often 
in  a  state  bordering  on  gloom.  As,  however,  most  of  those 
in  that  part  of  the  world  were  at  this  time  in  a  state  of 
actual  gloom,  Steve's  condition  was  set  down  to  the  gen- 
eral cause.  Occasionally  it  occurred  to  Jacquelin  that 
some  trouble  with  Blair  Gary  might  have  a  part  in  it.  His 
Aunt  Thomasia's  words  had  stuck  in  his  memory.  Steve 
did  not  go  to  Dr.  Gary's  as  often  as  he  used  to  go ;  and 
when  he  did  go,  on  his  return  to  the  Court-house  he  was 
almost  always  in  one  of  his  fits  of  depression.  Jacquelin 
set  it  down  to  another  exhibition  of  Blair's  habitual  capri- 
ciousness.  It  was  that  Yankee  Captain  that  stood  in  the 
way.  And  Jacquelin  hardened  his  heart,  and  vowed  to 
himself  that  he  would  not  see  Blair  again. 

At  length  the  bill  in  Jacquelin's  suit  was  ready. 

365 


366  RED   KOCK 

It  was  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day's  work  that  Jacquelin 
had  put  the  finishing  touches  to  it,  and  as  he  com- 
pleted the  copy  from  a  draft  that  Steve  had  made,  he 
handed  it  across  to  Steve  to  read  over.  It  was  a  bill  to 
reopen,  on  the  ground  of  fraud,  the  old  suit  in  which  Still 
had  become  the  purchaser  of  Eed  Rock,  and  to  set  aside 
the  conveyance  to  him  and  the  subsequent  conveyance  of 
a  part  of  his  purchase  to  Major  Welch.  It  went  somewhat 
into  a  history  of  the  confidential  relation  that  Still  had 
borne  to  Jacquelin's  and  Rupert's  father  ;  charged  that 
Still's  possession  of  the  bonds  was  fraudulent,  and  that 
even,  if  not  so,  the  bonds  had  been  discharged  by  pro- 
ceeds of  the  estate  that  had  come  to  the  steward's  hands. 
It  charged  Still  with  gross  fraud  in  his  accounts,  as  well 
as  in  the  possession  of  the  bonds.  It  ended  by  making 
Major  Welch  a  party,  as  a  subsequent  purchaser,  and 
charged  constructive  knowledge  on  his  part  of  Still's 
fraud.  Actual  knowledge  of  this  by  him  was  expressly 
disclaimed,  but  it  was  stated  that  he  had  knowledge  of 
facts  which  should  have  put  him  on  inquiry.  It  was 
alleged  that  a  formal  notice  had  been  served  on  Major 
Welch  before  he  became  the  purchaser,  and  it  asked  that 
"an  issue  out  of  chancery,"  as  the  lawyers  term  it,  might 
be  awarded  to  try  the  question  of  fraud. 

When  Steve  finished  reading  the  paper,  he  laid  it  on  his 
desk  and  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ceiling,  in  deep  thought.  Jacquelin  did  not  disturb  him  ; 
but  watched  him  in  silence  as  the  expression  on  his  face 
deepened  into  one  almost  of  gloom.  Presently  Steve 
stirred. 

"  Well,  is  that  all  ?"  asked  Jacquelin. 

"  Yes."    He  actually  sighed. 

"  You  don't  think  it  will  hold  ?  " 

"  No.  I  am  sure  we  shall  show  fraud — on  that  rascal's 
part — at  least,  so  far  as  his  accounts  are  concerned.  We 
have  followed  up  some  of  his  rascality,  and  I  am  equally 
sure  that  his  possession  of  the  big  bond  was  fraudulent. 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT   HE   IS   A   FOOL       367 

Your  father  never  owed  him  all  that  money,  in  the  world  ; 
but  how  did  he  get  hold  of  it  ?  The  man  in  the  South 
in  whose  name  it  was  made  out  is  dead,  and  all  his  papers 
burned.  Still  turns  up  with  the  bond  assigned  to  him, 
and  says  it  was  given  him  for  negroes  he  sold.  Now,  how 
shall  we  meet  it  ?  We  know  he  made  money  negro- trading. 
Rupert's  story  of  hearing  the  conversation  with  your  father 
is  too  vague.  He  can't  explain  what  your  father  meant 
by  his  reference  to  the  Indian-killer,  and  his  threats  against 
Hiram  will  weaken  his  testimony.  Hiram's  afraid  of  him, 
though,  and  he'd  better  be.  We'll  have  to  send  him  away. 
He's  with  McRame  too  much." 

Jacquelin's  face  sobered,  and  he  sighed.  The  thought 
of  Rupert  cost  him  many  sighs  these  days. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  we  have  been  specific  enough  in  our 
charges,"  Steve  continued,  "  and  I  am  sure  the  judge  will 
be  against  us.  He  has  never  gotten  over  the  peeling  I 
gave  him  when  he  first  turned  Rad,  and  he  and  Hiram  are 
as  thick  as  thieves." 

"  Yes ;  but,  as  you  say,  we'll  get  at  something,  and  it  is 
all  we  can  do.  I  am  willing  to  take  the  risk  for  Rupert, 
if  not  for  myself.  Will  you  sign  as  counsel  ?  And  I'll 
go  over  to  the  office  and  file  it.  Mr.  Dockett  said  he'd 
wait  for  us." 

Steve  took  the  pen  and  dipped  it  in  the  ink  ;  then  again 
leaned  back  in  his  chair,  and  then,  after  a  second's  thought, 
sat  up  and  signed  the  paper  rapidly,  and  Jacquelin  took  it 
and  went  out.  In  a  few  minutes  he  returned. 

"  Well,  the  Rubicon  is  crossed,"  he  said,  gayly. 

Steve  did  not  answer.  He  was  again  leaning  back  in 
his  chair,  deep  in  thought,  his  eyes  on  the  ceiling,  his  face 
graver  than  before. 

"  Steve,  don't  bother  about  the  thing  any  more.  We've 
done  the  best  we  could,  and  if  we  fail  we  fail,  that's  all." 

But  the  other  did  not  respond  in  the  same  vein. 

"Yes,  we've  crossed  the  Rubicon,"  he  said,  with  some- 
thing between  a  sigh  and  a  yawn. 


368  RED   ROCK 

"Steve,  what's  the  matter  ?" 

"  Oh,  nothing." 

"  Yes,  there  is — tell  me." 

"  Nothing — I  assure  you,  there's  not." 

"  And  I  know  better.  Confound  it  !  can't  I  see  some- 
thing is  going  on  that  I  don't  understand  ?  You  couldn't 
be  gloomier  if  you  had  broken  with — with  your  sweet- 
heart." 

"  Well,  I  have."  Steve  turned  and  looked  out  of  the 
window  to  where  the  light  in  the  clerk's  office  shone 
through  the  trees. 

"  What ! "    Jacquelin  was  on  his  feet  in  a  second. 

"Jack,  I'm  in  love." 

"  I  know  that.  But  what  do  you  mean  by — by — that 
you  have  broken  with ?" 

"That  I'm  in  love  with  Euth  Welch."  He  spoke 
quietly. 

"  What — what  do  you  mean  ? "  Jacquelin's  voice  fal- 
tered. 

"  What  I  say — that  I've  been  in  love  with  her  ever  since 
I  met  her."  He  was  still  looking  out  of  the  window. 

"Steve  !"  Jacquelin's  tone  had  changed  and  was  full  of 
deep  reproach.  As  Steve  was  not  looking  at  him  and  did 
not  answer,  he  went  on  :  "  Steve,  I  don't  understand. 
Does  she  know  ?  "  His  throat  was  dry  and  his  voice  hard. 

"I  don't  know " 

"  Steve  Allen  ! "  The  tone  was  such  that  Steve  turned 
to  look  at  him. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  ?" 

"  That's  what  I  have  to  ask  you,"  said  Jacquelin,  sternly. 
"  Are  you  crazy?  " 

"  I  don't  know  whether  lam  or  not,"  Steve  said,  half 
bitterly.  "But  that's  the  fact,  anyhow." 

Jacquelin's  face  had  paled,  and  his  form  was  tense. 

"  Steve,  if  anyone  else  had  told  me  this  of  you,  he'd  not 
have  stood  to  complete  his  sentence.  I  thought  you  were 
a  gentleman,"  he  sneered. 


JACQUELIN    LEARNS   THAT   HE   IS   A    FOOL       369 

e '  Jacquelin  Gray  ! "  Steve  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  the 
two  young  men  stood  facing  each  other,  their  faces  white 
and  their  eyes  blazing.  Jacquelin  spoke  first. 

"  As  Blair  Gary  has  no  brother  to  protect  her,  I  will  do 
it.  I  never  thought  it  would  have  to  be  against  you." 

"  Blair  Gary  ?  Protect  her  against  me  ?  In  God's 
name,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  You  know." 

"I  swear  I  (Jo  not!" 

Jacquelin  turned  from  him  with  a  gesture  of  contempt ; 
but  Steve  seized  him  roughly. 

"  By  Heaven  !  you  shall  tell  me.  I  feel  as  if  the  earth 
were  giving  way  before  me." 

•  Jacquelin  shook  him  off,  but  faced  him,  his  whole  ex- 
pression full  of  scorn. 

"  Haven't  you  been  engaged  to — engaged  to — or  as  good 
as  engaged  to — or,  at  least,  in  love  with  Blair  Gary  for 
years  ?  " 

Steve  gazed  at  him  for  a  moment  with  a  puzzled  look 
on  his  face,  which  gave  place  the  next  instant  to  one  of 
inexpressible  amusement,  and  then,  with  a  shove  which 
sent  Jacquelin  spinning  across  the  room,  flung  himself 
into  his  chair  and  burst  into  a  ringing  laugh. 

f(  You  fool  !  you  blamed  fool  ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  But 
Fm  a  fool,  too,"  he  said,  standing  and  facing  Jacquelin. 

"  I  think  you  are."    Jacquelin  was  still  grave. 

"  Why,  Blair  knows  it." 

"  Knows  what  ?  " 

"  Knows  that  Fm  in  love  with  Ruth  Welch.  She  di- 
vined it  long  ago  and  has  been  my  confidante." 

"  What !  — Steve  !  — "  The  expression  on  Jacquelin's 
face  underwent  a  dozen  changes  in  as  many  seconds.  As- 
tonishment, incredulity,  memory,  reflection,  regret,  hope 
— all  were  there,  chasing  each  other  and  tumbling  over  one 
another  in  wild  confusion.  "  Steve,"  he  began  again  in 
hopeless  amazement,  with  a  tone  almost  of  entreaty,  but 
stopped  short. 
2* 


370  RED   ROCK 

"You  double-dyed,  blind  idiot!"  exclaimed  Steve, 
"  Don't  you  know  that  Blair  Gary  don't  care  a  button 
for  me  ?  never  has  cared  and  never  will  care  but  for  one 


man 


"Middleton!"  Jacquelin  turned  away  with  a  fierce 
gesture. 

"  No,  you  jealous  fool  !  " 

"  Then,  in  Heaven's  name,  who  is  it  ?  "  Jacquelin 
again  faced  him. 

"A  blind  idiot." 

The  effect  was  not  what  Steve  had  anticipated.  Jacquelin 
made  a  wild  gesture  of  dissent,  turned  his  back,  and,  walk- 
ing to  the  window,  put  his  forearm  against  the  sash,  and 
leaned  his  forehead  on  it.  • 

"  You  don't  know  what  you're  talking  about,"  he  said, 
bitterly.  "She  hates  me.  She  treats  me  like  -  She 
has  always  done  it  since  that  cursed  Middleton  -  " 

"  I  don't  say  she  hasn't.  I  simply  say  she  -  "  Steve 
broke  off.  "  She  ought  to  have  treated  you  badly.  You 
made  a  fool  of  yourself,  and  have  been  a  fool  ever  since. 
But  I  know  she  cared  for  you  —  before  that,  and  if  you  had 
gone  about  it  in  the  right  way,  you'd  have  won  her." 
(Jacquelin  groaned.)  "  Instead  of  that,  you  must  get  on 
a  high  horse  and  put  on  your  high  and  mighty  airs  and 
try  to  hector  a  spirited  girl  like  Blair  Gary."  (A  groan 
from  the  window.)  "  Why,  if  I  were  to  treat  my  horse  as 
you  did  her,  he'd  break  my  neck." 

"  Oh,  Steve  !  " 

"  And  then  after  she  had  tried  to  prove  it  to  you,  for  you 
to  go  and  put  it  on  another's  account,  of  course  she  kicked 
—  and  she  ought  to  have  done  so,  and  has  treated  you 
coldly  ever  since." 

Jacquelin  faced  him. 

"  Steve,  I  loved  her  so.  I  have  loved  her  ever  since  I 
was  a  boy  —  ever  since  that  day  I  made  her  jump  off  the 
barn.  It  was  what  kept  me  alive  in  prison  many  a  time 
when  otherwise  I'd  have  gone.  And  when  I  came  home, 


JACQTJELIN   LEARNS  THAT  HE  IS   A  FOOL       371 

ready  to  go  down  on  my  knees  to  her — to  die  for  her,  to 

find  her  given  to  another,  or,  if  not "  He  stopped 

and  turned  away  again. 

"  Then  why  didn't  you  tell  her  so,  instead  of  outraging 
her  feelings  ?  "  demanded  Steve. 

"Because- — because  I  thought  you  loved  her  and  she 

loved  you,  and  I  would  not 1"  He  turned  off  and 

walked  to  the  window. 

Steve  rose  and  went  up  to  him. 

"  Jacquelin,"  he  said,  putting  his  hand  on  his  shoulder, 
and  speaking  with  a  new  tenderness,  "  I  never  knew  it — 
I  never  dreamed  it.  You  have  been  blind,  boy.  And  I 
have  been  worse.  I  was  never  in  love  with  her  and  she 
knew  it.  At  first,  I  simply  meant  to  bedevil  you,  and — 
Middleton — and  then  afterward,  used  to  tease  her  to  see  her 
let  out  about  you  ;  but  that  was  all.  She  has  known  ever 
since  Ruth  Welch  came  here  that  I  liked  her,  and  now — • 
that  I  have  become  a  fool  like  the  rest  of  you."  He  turned 
away. 

Jacquelin  stood  for  a  moment  looking  at  him,  a  light 
dawning  on  his  face. 

"  Steve,  I  beg  your  pardon  for  what  I  said."  He  stood 
lost  in  thought.  The  next  second  he  rushed  out  of  the 
door.  In  a  moment  he  was  back,  and  held  the  bill  he  had 
just  filed,  in  his  hand.  Steve  rose  as  he  entered. 

"  What  have  you  done  ?  " 

"I  may  be  a  fool — but — "  He  held  up  the  bill  and 
glancing  at  it,  caught  hold  of  the  last  sheet  and  began  to 
tear  it.  Steve  made  a  spring,  but  was  too  late  ;  Jacquelin 
had  torn  the  signature  from  the  paper. 

"  I'm  not  such  a  selfish  dog  as  to  let  you  do  it  and  bar 
your  chance  of  happiness.  I  did  not  know.  Do  you  sup- 
pose Miss  Welch  would  ever  marry  you  if  you  signed  that 
bill  ?  " 

"  No.  But  do  you  suppose  I  will  not  tell  her  of  my  part 
in  bringing  the  suit  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  will — but  she'll  forgive  you  for  that." 


372  KED   ROCK 

It  was  late  in  the  night  before  their  disagreement  was 
settled. 

Steve  insisted  that  he  would  sign  the  bill ;  he  had 
brought  the  suit  and  he  would  assume  the  responsibility 
for  it.  But  he  had  met  his  match.  Jacquelin  was  firm, 
and  finally  declared  that  if  Steve  still  held  to  his  decision 
he  would  not  press  the  suit  at  all.  Steve  urged  Rupert's 
interest.  Jacquelin  said  Rupert  would  still  have  six 
months  after  he  came  of  age,  in  which  to  save  his  rights. 
In  this  unexpected  turn  of  the  case,  Steve  was  forced  to 
yield  ;  and  Jacquelin  recopied  the  whole  bill  in  his  own 
hand  and  filed  it  the  next  morning.  It  was  signed  by 
Jacquelin  and  Rupert  personally,  and  by  General  Legaie 
as  counsel. 

It  created  a  sensation  in  at  least  two  households  in  the 
County. 

When  Still  read  the  bill,  he  almost  dropped  to  the  floor. 
The  attack  was  made  on  the  ground  of  fraud,  and  Major 
Welch  had  said  the  statute  of  limitations  did  not  apply. 
After  a  conference,  however,  with  Leech,  who  happened  to 
be  at  home,  he  felt  better.  Leech  assured  him  that  the 
bill  would  not  hold  good  against  his  possession  of  the 
bonds. 

"  They'll  hold  against  all  creation/'  said  that  counsellor, 
"  if  they  weren't  stolen  and  ain't  been  paid.*' 

This  declaration  did  not  seem  to  relieve  Still  much. 

"  And  they've  got  to  prove  both  of  'em,"  added  Major 
Leech,  "  and  prove  'em  before  our  judge." 

Still's  face  cleared  up. 

"  Well,  Welch  is  obliged  to  stand  by  us.  We'll  go  and 
see  him." 

So,  that  evening  they  took  a  copy  of  the  bill  to  Major 
Welch.  Mrs.  Welch  and  Miss  Ruth  both  were  in  a  state 
of  great  excitement  and  indignation.  The  idea  of  fraud 
being  charged  against  Major  AVelch  was  an  outrage  that 
they  could  not  tolerate. 

Major  Welch  alone  was  calm  and  unmoved.    It  was,  after 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT  HE   IS   A   FOOL       373 

all,  expressly  stated  that  no  actual  fraud  was  attributed  to 
him,  and  though,  of  course,  he  felt  keenly  having  his  name 
mixed  up  with  such  a  matter,  he  had  no  anxiety  as  to  the 
result.  He  could  readily  prove  that  he  had  had  no  knowl- 
edge whatever  of  anything  to  arouse  the  slightest  suspicion. 
He  should,  of  course,  have  to  employ  counsel.  He  began 
to  canvass  their  names. 

"  Papa,  why  don't  you  get  Mr.  Allen  to  represent  you  ? 
They  say  he  is  the  best  lawyer  in  this  part  of  .the  country/' 
said  Ruth.  She  was  conscious  that  her  color  came  as  Still 
quickly  looked  at  her. 

"  He's  the  one  that  started  the  whole  matter,  ma'am." 

"  Why,  I  don't  see  his  name  to  the  bill  ! "  the  Major 
said. 

"  Ain't  it  ?  Well,  anyhow  he's  the  main  one.  If  it 
hadn't  been  for  him  the  suit  never  would  V  been  brought. 
Colonel  Leech  saw  a  copy  of  the  bill  in  his  hand- writing  in 
his  office  this  morning,  didn'  you,  Colonel  ?" 

Leech  declared  that  he  had  seen  the  copy,  and  corrob- 
orated his  client  in  his  statement  that  Captain  Allen  had 
inspired  the  suit. 

Mrs.  Welch  gave  an  exclamation  of  indignation. 

"Well,  I  did  not  think  he  would  have  played  the 
sneak ! " 

Ruth's  face  flamed  and  turned  white  by  turns. 

"You  don't  know  him  yet,"  said  Still,  plaintively, 
"Does  she,  Colonel  ?" 

"  No — he's  a  bad  man,"  said  Leech,  unctuously. 

"  He  is  that,"  said  Still.  He  dropped  his  voice.  "  You 
look  out  for  him,  Major.  He's  after  you.  If  I  was  you 
I'd  carry  a  pistol  pretty  handy."  Major  Welch  gave  a 
gesture  of  impatience. 

Ruth's  eyes  flashed  a  sudden  gleam,  and  her  face  flamed 
again.  She  rose,  walked  to  the  window,  and  pressed  deep 
in  between  the  curtains.  Still  addressed  himself  to  Major 
Welch. 

"  The  Colonel  says  'tain't  goin*  to  be  any  trouble  to  beat 


374  BED   ROCK 

the  suit;  that  he  can  git  it  dismissed  on  demurrer — if 
that's  the  word  ?  You  know  I  ain't  any  book-learnin' — 
Fm  no  thin'  but  a  plain  farmer.  And  he  says  the  judge  is 
sure  to " 

"  Yes — that's  it,"  said  Leech,  quickly,  with  a  glance  of 
warning  at  him.  "  I  don't  -cross  a  bridge  till  I  get  to  it ; 
I've  got  several  in  this  case,  but,  as  Mr.  Bagby  says,  I  be- 
lieve in  making  every  defence." 

"  That  may  be  so  ;  -but  I'm  going  to  fight  this  case  on 
its  merits,"  declared  Major  Welch,  firmly.  "  I  don't  pro- 
pose, when  a  question  of  fraud  is  raised,  to  shelter  myself 
behind  any  technicalities.  I  mean  to  make  it  as  clear  as 
day  that  I  had  no  connection  with  any  fraud.  I  spoke  to 
Mr.  Bagby  when  the  rumor  of  a  suit  was  first  started,  and 
told  him  so."  Though  he  spoke  quietly  his  voice  had  a 
ring  in  it  and  his  face  a  light  on  it  which  made  both  Mrs. 
Welch  and  Euth  proud  of  him,  and  Euth  squeezed  her 
mother's  arm,  in  her  joy.  How  diiferent  he  looked  from 
those  other  men  ! 

Meantime  the  change  in  Steve  Allen  was  perceptible  to 
many  who  had  no  idea  of  the  true  reason  it  was  so. 

Jacquelin  set  it  down  to  the  wrong  cause.  Miss  Tho- 
masia,  like  Jacquelin,  laid  Steve's  despondency  at  Blair's 
door,  and  the  good  lady  cast  about  in  her  mind  how  she 
might  draw  Blair  into  a  discussion  of  the  subject  and  give 
her  some  affectionate  advice.  But  as  often  as  she  touched 
on  the  subject  of  love,  even  in  the  most  distant  way,  bring- 
ing in  Jacquelin  as  a  sort  of  introduction,  Blair  shied  off 
from  it,  so  that  Miss  Thomasia  found  it  more  difficult  to 
accomplish  than  she  had  anticipated. 

Steve,  however,  was  working  on  his  own  lines.  His 
present  situation  was  intolerable  to  him.  The  fact  that 
his  name  had  not  appeared  on  Jacquelin's  bill  stuck  in  his 
memory  like  a  thorn.  He  was  lying  on  the  grass  under  a 
tree  in  the  court-green  one  afternoon  reading  a  book,  not 
a  law-book  either,  when  the  sound  of  horses'  feet  caught 
his  ear.  He  looked  up  lazily  as  it  came  nearer,  and  soon  in 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS  THAT  HE  IS  A  FOOL       375 

view  appeared  two  riders,  a  girl  and  a  young  man.  They 
cantered  easily  along  the  little  street,  their  laughter  com- 
ing across  to  Steve  where  he  lay,  his  book  neglected  on  the 
ground  beside  him.  Steve  stretched,  and  picking  up  his 
book  dived  once  more  into  the  "  Idylls  of  the  King/'  But 
the  spell  was  broken.  A  line  from  Dante  flashed  through 
his  mind.  Launcelot  and  Guinevere  ;  Tristram  and  Isolt ; 
Geraint  and  Enid,  interested  him  no  more.  The  reality 
had  passed  before  him.  Resting  his  head  against  the  tree, 
he  tried  to  go  to  sleep  ;  but  the  minute  denizens  about  in 
the  grass  bothered  him,  the  droning  of  bees  in  the  locust 
boughs  above  failed  to  lull  him. 

"  '  I  am  half  sick  of  shadows/  "  he  murmured  to  himself, 
and  he  sat  up  and,  resting  against  the  tree,  thought  deeply. 
Another  line  came  to  him  : 

"On  burnished  hooves  his  war-horse  trode." 

He  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet  and  walked  straight  to 
his  office,  his  face  resolute  and  his  step  determined.  He 
was  not  a  girl  to  be  caught  in  a  mesh  !  He  would  be  the 
other.  Jacquelin  was  at  his  desk,  deep  in  a  big  law-book. 
Steve  shut  the  door  behind  him  and  stood  with  his  back 
against  it  looking  down  at  his  partner. 

"  Jacquelin,  I  am  going  to  marry  Ruth  Welch." 

"What!"  Jacquelin  looked  up  in  blank  amazement. 
"  Oh  ! "  he  laughed.  "  I  thought  you  meant  you  had 
asked  her." 

"  You  misunderstand  me.  It  is  not  conceit.  It  is  de- 
termination. I  have  no  idea  she  will  accept  me  now  ;  but 
she  will  in  the  end.  She  shall,  I  will  win  her."  He  was 
grave,  and  though  his  words  spoke  conceit,  his  voice  and 
face  had  not  a  trace  of  it.  Jacquelin  too  became  grave. 

"I  believe  you  can  win  her  if  you  try,  Steve — unless 
someone  else  is  in  the  way  ;  but  it  is  a  long  chase,  I  warn 
you."  Steve's  brow  clouded  for  a  second,  but  the  shadow 
disappeared  as  quickly  as  it  came. 

"  You  don't  think  there's  anything  in  that  story  about 


376  RED,  ROCK 

"Wash  Still  ?  "  His  tone  had  a  certain  fiery  contempt  in 
it.  "I  tell  yon  there  isn't.  I'll  stake  my  salvation  on 
that.  An  eagle  does  not  mate  with  a  weasel ! " 

"  No — I  do  not  believe  she  would,  but  how  about  her 
mother  ?  You  know  what  she  thinks  of  us,  and  what  they 
say  of  her  missionary  ideas,  and  Wash  Still  has  been  play- 
ing assiduously  on  that  string  of  late.  He  is  visiting  all 
her  sick,  free — he  says.  Besides  they  have  not  the  same 
ideas  that  we  have  about  family  and  so  on,  and  they  don't 
know  the  Stills  as  we  do." 

"  Not  pride  of  family  !  You  don't  know  her.  She's 
one  of  the  proudest  people  in  the  United  States,  of  her 
family.  I  tell  you  she  could  give  General  Legaie  six  in 
the  game  and  beat  him.  By  Jove  !  I  wish  one  could  do 
the  old-fashioned  way.  I'd  just  ride  up  and  storm  the 
stronghold  and  carry  her  off  ! "  burst  out  Steve,  straight- 
ening up  and  stretching  out  his  arms,  half  in  jest,  half  in 
earnest,  his  eyes  flashing  and  his  color  rising  at  the  thought. 

"  Now  you  have  to  storm  the  stronghold  all  the  same, 
without  carrying  her  off,"  Jacquelin  laughed. 

"  No,  I'll  carry  her  away  some  day,"  asseverated  Steve, 
confidently.  "  It's  worth  all  my  worthless  life  and  a  good 
deal  more  too." 

' '  I  think  if  you  get  into  that  spirit  you  may  win  her  ; 
but  I'm  afraid  they'll  hardly  recognize  you  in  the  r61e  of 
humility.  I  doubt  if  they  have  heard  much  of  you  in  that 
character.  How  are  you  going  about  it  ?  You  have  not 
seen  her  since  the  suit  was  brought,  and  I  doubt  if  she 
will  speak  to  you." 

"  She  will  not  ?  I'll  make  her.  Whether  she  speaks  or 
not,  I'll  win  her." 

"  There  goes  your  robe  of  humility.  You  have  to  win 
her  parents  first — for  you  have  to  ask  their  permission." 

Steve  relapsed  into  thought  for  a  moment,  during  which 
Jacquelin  watched  him  closely. 

"  Do  you  think  that's  necessary  ?  "  he  asked,  doubtfully, 
as  if  almost  to  himself. 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT   HE   IS   A   FOOL       377 

"  I  do,  under  the  circumstances — for  you  ;  not  for  Wash 
Still." 

"  The  gorgon  will  refuse  me " 

"  Probably — All  the  same,  you  have  to  do  it." 

Suddenly,  with  a  sigh,  Steve  came  out  of  his  reverie  as  if 
he  were  emerging  from  a  cloud.  His  countenance  cleared 
up  and  he  spoke  with  decision. 

"  You  are  right.  I  knew  you  were  right  all  the  time. 
But  I  did  not  want  to  do  it.  I  will,  though.  Til  do  it  if 
I  lose  her."  He  turned  to  go  out. 

"  When  are  you  going  to  do  it  ?  " 

"  Eight  now."  In  the  presence  of  contest  Steve's  face 
had  got  back  all  its  fire,  his  voice  all  its  ring. 

"  I  believe  you'll  win  her,"  said  Jacquelin. 

"  I  know  I  shall,  some  day,"  said  Steve.  And  a  little 
later  Jacquelin  heard  him  in  his  room,  whistling  "  Bonny 
Dundee,"  and  calling  to  Jerry  to  saddle  his  horse. 

Major  Welch  was  sitting  on  his  veranda  that  afternoon 
about  sunset  when  a  rider  came  out  of  the  woods  far  below, 
at  a  gallop,  and  continued  to  gallop  all  the  way  up  the  hill. 
There  was  something  about  a  rapid  gallop  up  hill  and  down 
that  always  bore  Major  Welch's  mind  back  to  the  war.  As 
the  horseman  came  nearer,  Major  Welch  recognized  Captain 
Allen.  He  remembered  the  advice  Still  had  recently  given 
him,  always  to  have  a  pistol  handy  when  he  met  Allen. 
He  put  the  thought  away  from  him  with  almost  a  flush  of 
shame  that  it  should  even  have  crossed  his  mind.  Should 
he  meet  a  man  at  his  own  door,  with  a  weapon  ?  Not  if  he 
was  shot  down  for  it.  So,  as  the  rider  approached,  Major 
Welch  walked  down  to  meet  him  at  the  gate,  just  as  Steve, 
dismounting,  tied  his  horse. 

The  young  man's  face  was  pale,  his  manner  constrained, 
and  he  was  manifestly  laboring  under  more  emotion  than 
he  usually  showed.  Wondering  what  could  be  the  object 
of  his  call,  Major  Welch  met  him  gravely.  Steve  held  out 
his  hand  and  the  Major  took  it  formally.  At  any  rate  the 
mission  was  peaceful. 


378  KED   BOCK 

"  Major  Welch,  I  have  come  to  see  yon — "  he  began 
hesitatingly,  his  hat  in  his  hand,  and  his  face  flushed. 

"  Won't  you  walk  up  on  the  veranda  and  sit  down  ?  " 
The  Major  did  not  mean  to  be  outdone  in  civility. 

"  Not  until  I  have  stated  the  object  of  my  visit.  Then, 
if  you  choose  to  invite  me,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  accept." 
He  had  recovered  his  composure. 

The  Major  was  more  mystified. 

"  I  have  come  this  evening  for  a  purpose  which,  per- 
haps, will — no  doubt  will — surprise  you."  The  Major 
looked  affirmative,  and  wondered  more  and  more  what  it 
could  mean. 

"I  have  come  to  ask  your  permission  to  pay  my  ad- 
dresses to  your  daughter." 

If  the  Major  was  expecting  to  be  surprised,  he  was  more 
than  surprised  ;  he  was  dazed — he  almost  gasped. 

"What?" 

"I  am  not  surprised  that  you  are  astonished."  The 
younger  man,  now  that  the  ice  was  broken,  was  regaining 
his  composure.  "It  is,  however,  no  sudden  impulse  on 
my  part."  How  melodious  his  deep  voice  had  grown  ! 
Major  Welch  was  sensible  of  the  charm  growing  upon  him 
that  he  had  seen  exercised  in  the  case  of  others. 

"  I  have  loved  your  daughter " — (his  voice  suddenly 
sank  to  a  pitch  as  full  of  reverence  as  of  softness) — "a 
long  time  ;  perhaps  not  long  in  duration,  but  ever  since  I 
knew  her.  From  that  evening  that  I  first  met  her  here,  I 
have  loved  her."  His  glance  stole  toward  the  tree  in  which 
he  had  found  Ruth  that  afternoon.  "  If  I  can  obtain  your 
consent,  and  shall  find  favor  in  her  eyes,  I  shall  be  the 
happiest  and  most  blessed  of  men."  He  gave  a  deep  sigh 
of  relief.  He  stood  suddenly  before  Major  Welch  a  differ- 
ent being — modest  and  manly,  not  without  recognition  of 
his  power,  and  yet  not  for  a  second  presuming  on  it. 
Major  Welch  could  not  help  being  impressed  by  him. 
A  wave  of  the  old  liking  that  he  had  had  for  him  when  he 
first  met  him  came  over  him. 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT  HE   IS   A   FOOL       379 

"Does  my  daughter  know  of  this?"  he  asked. 

"  I  hardly  know.  I  have  never  said  anything  of  it  to 
her  directly,  but  I  do  not  know  how  much  a  girl's  instinct 
can  read.  My  manner  has  seemed  to  myself  always  that  of 
a  suitor,  and  at  times  I  have  wondered  how  she  could  help 
reading  the  thoughts  of  my  heart ;  they  have  seemed  to 
me  almost  audible.  Others  have  known  it  for  some  time  ; 
at  least  one  other  has.  I  thought  your  daughter  knew  it. 
Yet  now  I  cannot  tell.  She  has  never  given  me  the  slight- 
est encouragement." 

"  I  thought  you  were  in  love  with — with  someone  else  ; 
with  your  cousin,  and  her  accepted  lover  ?  Eumor  has  so 
stated  it  ?  "  The  elder  gentleman's  manner  cooled  again  as 
the  thought  recurred  to  him. 

Steve  smiled. 

' '  Blair  Gary  ?  I  do  love  her — dearly — but  only  as  an  ad- 
mirer and  older  brother  might.  I  am  aware  of  the  impres- 
sion that  has  existed,  but  her  heart  has  long  been  given  to 
another  who  has  loved  her  from  his  boyhood.  From  cer- 
tain causes,  which  I  need  not  trouble  you  with  and  which 
occurred  before  you  arrived,  differences  grew  up  between 
them,  and  they  became  estranged  ;  but  the  affection  re- 
mains. Jacquelin  does  not  know  it,  but  in  time  he  will 
succeed,  and  it  is  one  of  my  most  cherished  hopes  that 
some  time  he  will  realize  that  great  happiness  in  store  for 
him.  Meantime,  I  feel  sure  that  you  will  consider  what  I 
have  said  of  this  as  confidential.  I  have,  perhaps,  said 
more  than  I  should  have  done." 

Major  Welch  bowed.  "  Of  course  I  will.  And  now  I 
wish  to  say  that  I  am  so  much  taken  by  surprise  by  what 
you  have  told  me  that  I  scarcely  know  just  what  answer  to 
give  you  at  this  time.  I  appreciate  the  step  you  have 
taken.  But  it  is  so  strange — so  unexpected — that  I  must 
have  time  for  reflection.  I  must  consult  my  wife,  who  is 
my  best  adviser  and  our  daughter's  best  guardian.  And  I 
can  only  say  that  we  wish  for  nothing  but  our  child's  best 
and  most  lasting  happiness.  I  cannot,  of  course,  under 


380  RED    ROCK 

the  circumstances  renew  my  invitation  to  you  to  come  in." 
He  paused  and  reflected.  "Nor  can  I  hold  out  to  you 
any  hope.  And  I  think  I  must  ask  you  not  to  speak  to 
my  daughter  on  the  subject  until  I  have  given  my  con- 
sent." 

"I  promise  you  that/'  said  Steve.  "I  should  not  have 
come  to  you  at  all  unless  I  had  been  prepared  to  give  that 
promise." 

The  young  man  evidently  had  something  more  that  he 
wished  to  say ;  he  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  began 
again. 

"  One  other  thing  I  should  tell  you.  I  brought  the 
suit  for  Jacquelin  and  Rupert  Gray.  Although  my  name 
was  not  signed  to  the  bill,  I  brought  the  suit,  and  have  the 
responsibility." 

Major  Welch  could  not  help  a  graver  look  coming  into 
his  face — he  felt  almost  grim,  but  he  tried  to  choke  down 
the  sensation. 

"I  was  aware  of  that." 

"There  is  one  word  more  I  would  like  to  say,  but — not 
now — I  should  possibly  be  misunderstood.  Perhaps  the 
day  may  come —  May  I  say  in  the  meantime  that  I  am 
not  one  who  changes  or  is  easily  disheartened  ?  I  know 
that  even  if  I  should  secure  your  consent  I  should  have  to 
make  the  fight  of  my  life  to  win  your  daughter — but  I 
should  do  it.  I  think  the  prize  well  worth  all,  and  far 
more  than  all  I  could  give." 

He  stood  diffidently,  as  though  not  knowing  whether 
Major  Welch  would  take  his  hand  if  offered.  The  Major, 
however,  made  the  advance  and  the  two  men  shook  hands 
ceremoniously  and  Steve  mounted  his  horse  and  without 
looking  back  rode  off,  while  Major  Welch  returned  slowly 
to  the  house.  The  only  glance  Steve  gave  was  one  up 
toward  the  old  cherry-tree  in  the  yard. 

Mrs.  Welch  had  seen  Steve  ride  up  and  had  watched 
with  curiosity  and  some  anxiety  the  conference  that  had 
taken  place  at  the  gate.  When  the  Major  stated  to  her 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT   HE   IS   A   FOOL       381 

the  object  of  Mr.  Allen's  visit  she  was  too  much  surprised 
to  speak.  She,  however,  received  the  announcement  some- 
what differently  from  the  way  the  Major  had  expected. 
She  was  deeply  offended.  Without  an  instant's  hesitation 
she  was  for  despatching  an  immediate  and  indignant  re- 
fusal. 

"  Of  course,  ypu  at  once  refused  him  and  told  him  what 
you  thought  of  his  effrontery  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Well— no,  I  did  not,"  said  Major  Welch.  In  fact, 
though  the  Major  had  been  astonished  by  Steve's  proposal 
and  had  supposed  that  it  would  be  rejected,  it  had  not  oc- 
curred to  him  that  his  wife  would  take  it  in  just  this  way. 

"  You  did  not !  Oh,  you  men  !  I  wish  he  had  spoken 
to  me  !  It  was  an  opportunity  I  should  not  have  lost. 
But  he  would  not  have  dared  to  face  me  with  his  insult- 
ing proposal." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  he  intended  it  as  an  insult,  and 
without  intention  it  cannot  be  an  insult.  I  think  if  you 
had  seen  him  you  would  have  felt  this." 

"  Do  you  think  I  would  entrust  my  daughter's  happi- 
ness to  a  desperado  and  a  midnight  assassin  ?  " 

"  No,  I  cannot  say  that  I  thought  you  would — nor 
would  I.'  But  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  I  think  him 
either  an  assassin  or  a  desperado." 

"  Well,  I  am,"  asserted  Mrs.  Welch.  "  I  was  deceived 
in  him  once  and  I  will  not  give  him  a  chance  again." 

"  I  simply  told  him  that  I  would  confer  with  you  and 
give  him  our  answer." 

"He  will  take  that  as  encouragement,"  declared  Mrs. 
Welch,  "  and  will  be  pursuing  Ruth  and  persecuting  her." 

"  No,  he  will  not.  He  gave  me  his  word  that  he  would 
not  speak  to  her  without  my — without  our  consent " 

"  He  will  not  keep  it."  Mrs.  Welch's  words  were  not  as 
positive  as  her  manner. 

"  Yes,  he  will.  I  will  stand  sponsor."  Major  Welch 
was  thinking  of  the  young  man  as  he  had  just  stood  before 
him. 


382  RED   ROCK 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  you  extracted  that  much  of  a  pledge 
from  him.  He  will  not  get  my  consent  in  this  life,  I  can 
assure  him." 

"  Nor  mine  without  yours  and  Ruth's,"  said  Major 
Welch,  gravely.  "I  will  write  him  and  tell  him  what  you 
say.  Shall  I  mention  it  to  Ruth  ?  " 

"  No,  of  course  not."  * 

Major  Welch  did  not  see  why  it  should  be  "of  course "  ; 
but  he  considered  that  his  wife  knew  more  of  such  things 
than  he  did,  and  he  accordingly  accepted  her  opinion 
without  question. 

"  Where  is  Ruth  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  She  went  with  Dr.  Still  to  see  a  sick  woman  he  wanted 
me  to  see.  I  was  not  able  to  go  this  afternoon  when  he 
called,  so  I  sent  her.  I  don't  think  there  is  much  the 
matter  with  her." 

Major  Welch  sat  for  a  moment  in  deep  reflection.  He 
was  evidently  puzzled.  Suddenly  he  broke  the  silence. 

"  Prudence,  you  don't  mean  that  you  wish  that — that 
you  think  that  young  fellow  is  a  suitable — ah — companion 
for  our  daughter  ?  "  That  was  not  the  word  Major  Welch 
meant. 

"  William  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Welch.  She  said  no  more, 
and  it  was  not  necessary.  Major  Welch  felt  that  he  had 
committed  a  great  mistake — a  terrible  blunder.  A  mo- 
ment before,  he  had  had  the  best  of  the  situation,  and  he 
had  been  conscious  of  a  feeling  of  somewhat  exalted 
virtue  ;  now  he  had  thrown  it  away.  He  felt  very  foolish, 
and  though  he  hoped  he  did  not  show  it,  he  did  show  it 
plainly.  He  began  to  defend  himself  :  a  further  blunder. 

"  Well,  my  dear,  how  could  I  know  ?  That  young  fel- 
low has  been  coming  over  here  day  after  day,  with  his 
horses  and  buggies,  on  one  pretext  or  another — tagging 
after— not  after  you  or  me  certainly — and  you  are  as  civil 
to  him  as  if  he  were  the— the  President  himself,  and 
actually  send  the  child  off  with  him " 

"  William  !    Send  the  child  off  with  him  !— I  !" 


JACQUELIN   LEARNS   THAT  HE   IS   A   FOOL       383 

"  Well,  no — not  exactly  that,  of  course/'  said  her  hus- 
band, rather  embarrassed,  "  but  permitting  her  to  go,  and 
thus  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  declare  himself,  which 
he  would  be  a  stick  not  to  avail  himself  of." 

"I  am  glad  you  retracted  that,  William,"  said  Mrs. 
Welch,  with  the  air  of  one  deeply  aggrieved.  ' '  Of  course, 
I  am  civil  to  the  young  man.  I  hope  I  am  civil  to  every- 
one. But  you  little  know  a  mother's  heart.  I  have  always 
said  that  no  man  can  understand  a  woman." 

"  I  believe  that's  so,"  said  her  husband,  smiling.  ' '  I 
know  I  have  often  heard  your  Royal  Highness  say  so.  But 
did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  it  may  be  because  men  are 
somewhat  direct  and  downright  ?  " 

"Now  don't  go  and  insult  my  sex  to  cover  the  density  of 
yours,"  said  Mrs.  Welch.  "  Confine  your  attack  to  one. 
If  you  think  that  I  would  allow  my  daughter  to  marry 
that — that  young  upstart,  you  don't  know  me  as  well  as 
you  did  the  first  day  we  met." 

"  Oh,  yes  I  do  !  I  know  you  well  enough  to  know  you 
are  the  best  and  most  devoted  wife  and  mother  and  friend 
in  the  world,"  declared  her  husband.  "  But,  you  see,  I 
misunderstood  you.  I  reason  simply  from  the  plain  facts 
that  lie  right  before  my  eyes " 

"  And  you  always  will  misunderstand,  my  dear.  Your 
sex  always  will  misunderstand  until  they  learn  that  woman 
is  a  more  complex  and  finer  organism  than  their  clumsy, 
primary  machine,  moved  by  more  delicate  and  complicated 
motives." 

"  Well,  I  agree  to  that,"  said  her  husband.  "  And  I  am 
very  glad  to  find  you  agree  with  me — that  I  agree  with 
you — "  he  corrected,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "as  to 
that  young  man." 

Mrs.  Welch  accepted  his  surrender  with  graciousness 
and  left  the  room,  and  the  Major  sat  down  and  wrote  his 
reply  to  Captain  Allen. 

He  expressed  his  unfeigned  appreciation  of  the  honor 
done,  but  gave  him  to  understand  that  after  conference 


384  BED   BOOK 

with  Mrs.  Welch  they  felt  it  their  duty  to  state  to  him 
that  his  suit  for  their  daughter  would  not  be  acceptable  to 
them,  and  he  requested  him  to  consider  the  matter  closed. 

As  soon  as  he  had  finished  the  letter  the  Major  de- 
spatched it  to  Mr.  Allen  by  a  messenger. 

He  had  hardly  sent  it  off  when  Mrs.  Welch  returned. 
Her  first  question  was  whether  the  answer  had  gone.  She 
was  manifestly  disappointed  to  learn  that  it  had  been  sent. 

' '  I  wish  you  had  let  me  see  it,"  she  said. 

"  Oh  !  I  made  it  positive  enough/'  declared  the  Major. 

"Yes,  I  was  not  thinking  of  that,"  Mrs.  Welch  said, 
thoughtfully.  "  I  was  afraid  you  would  be  too — Men  are 
so  hasty — so  up  and  down — they  don't  know  how  to  deal 
with  such  matters  as  a  woman  would." 

Major  Welch  turned  on  her  in  blank  amazement — a 
little  humor  lighting  up  his  face.  Mrs.  Welch  answered 
as  if  he  had  made  a  charge. 

( '  You  men  will  never  understand  us." 

"  I  believe  that's  so.  You  women  are  curious,  especially 
where  your  daughters  are -concerned.  I  set  the  young  man 
down  pretty  hard,  just  as  you  wished  me  to  do." 

Mrs.  Welch  made  a  gesture  of  dissent. 

"Not  at  all — I  have  reflected  on  what  you  said  about — 
about  his  not  intending  to  be  insulting,  and  I  think  you 
are  right.  I  no  more  wish  to  accept  his  proposal  now  than 
before;  all  I  want  is  to — ?"  She  made  a  gesture — "Oh  ! 
you  understand." 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do,"  laughed  her  husband,  "Why 
cannot  women  let  a  man  go  ? " 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

A    CUT    DIRECT    AND    A    REJECTED    ADDRESS 

THE  revelation  that  Steve  made  to  Jacquelin  in  their 
law-office  the  night  the  bill  was  filed,  seemed  suddenly  to 
have  opened  life  again  to  Jacquelin.  Looking  back  over 
the  past,  he  could  now  see  how  foolish  he  had  been.  Inci- 
dents which  he  had  construed  one  way  now,  in  the  light  of 
Steve's  disclosure,  took  on  a  new  complexion.  He  appeared 
to  have  sprung  suddenly  into  a  new  and  rarer  atmosphere. 
Hope  was  easily  worth  everything  else  in  Pandora's  box. 
When  he  began  to  visit  at  Dr.  Gary's  again,  it  must  be 
said,  that  he  could  discern  no  change  in  Blair.  Easy  and 
charming  as  she  always  was  to  others,  to  him  she  was  as 
constrained  as  formerly.  She  treated  him  with  the  same 
coldness  that  she  had  always  shown  him  since  that  fatal 
evening  when  he  had  taken  her  to  task  about  Middleton,  and 
then  had  alleged  that  it  was  on  Steve's  account.  However, 
he  was  not  to  be  cast  down  now.  With  the  key  which  Steve 
had  given  him  he  could  afford  to  wait  and  was  willing  to 
serve  for  his  mistake,  and  he  set  down  her  treatment  of 
him  simply  to  a  woman's  caprice.  He  would  bide  his  time 
until  the  occasion  came  and  then  he  would  win  her.  Ac- 
cording to  Steve,  she  had  no  idea  that  he  was  still  in  love 
with  her,  and  according  to  the  same  expert  authority,  this 
was  what  she  waited  for.  He  had  first  to  prove  his  love, 
and  then  he  should  find  that  he  had  hers.  So  through  the 
long  summer  months  he  served  faithfully.  Each  time 
that  he  saw  Blair  he  found  himself  more  deeply  in  love 
than  before ;  and  each  time  he  feared  more  to  tell  her 
of  it,  lest  Steve's  diagnosis  should  possibly  prove  wrong. 
25  385 


386  RED   KOCK 

He  knew  that  the  next  time  he  opened  the  subject  it  must 
be  final.  He  even  stood  seeing  McRaffle  visiting  Dr.  Gary's,, 
though  he  fumed  and  smouldered  internally  over  a  man 
like  McRaffle  being  in  Blair's  presence,  however  smooth  he 
was.  Steve  declared  that  McRaffle  was  in  love  with  Miss 
Welch,  but  Jacquelin  knew  better.  Steve  was  such  a  jeal- 
ous creature  that  he  thought  everyone  was  in  love  with 
Miss  Welch — even  that  Wash  Still  was,  whom  Miss  Welch 
would  not  so  much  as  look  at.  No,  McRaffle  was  in  love 
with  Blair.  Jacquelin  knew  it — just  as  he  knew  that  Mid- 
dleton  was.  She  could  not  bear  McRaffle,  of  course ;  but  the 
thought  of  Middleton  often  crossed  Jacquelin's  mind,  and 
discomposed  him.  He  had  heard  of  the  honors  Middleton 
had  won  in  the  Northwest  and  of  his  retirement  from  the 
service.  Blair  had  told  him  of  it  with  undue  enthusiasm. 
Confound  him  !  When  that  Indian  bullet  hit  him  most 
men  would  have  died.  Then  as  his  thought  ran  this  way 
Jacquelin  would  haul  himself  up  short,  with  a  feeling  of 
hot  shame  that  such  an  ignoble  idea  could  even  enter  his 
mind,  and  next  time  he  saw  Blair  would  speak  of  Middle- 
ton  with  unmeasured  admiration. 

At  length  he  could  wait  no  longer.  He  would  tell  her 
how  he  had  always  loved  her.  Steve  was  his  confidant,  as 
he  was  Steve's,  and  Steve  agreed  that  this  was  the  thing 
to  do. 

Alas  !  for  masculine  wisdom  !  The  way  of  a  serpent  on 
a  rock  is  not  harder  than  that  of  a  maid  with  a  man.  An 
opportunity  presented  itself  one  afternoon  in  which  every- 
thing appeared  so  propitious  that  Jacquelin  felt  as  though 
the  time  were  made  for  his  occasion.  He  and  Blair  had  been 
to  ride.  The  summer  woods  had  been  heavenly  in  their 
peacefulness  and  charm.  Blair  had  insensibly  fallen  into 
a  softer  mood  than  she  usually  showed  him,  and,  as  they 
had  talked  of  old  times,  she  had  seemed  sweeter  to  him 
than  ever  before.  He  had  spoken  to  her  of  Rupert,  and  of 
his  anxiety  about  the  boy ;  of  his  association  with  McRaffle, 
and  of  the  influence  McRaffle  seemed  to  have  obtained  over 


A   CUT   DIRECT   AND   A   REJECTED   ADDRESS      387 

him ;  and  Blair  had  responded  with  a  warmth  which  had 
set  his  heart  to  bounding.  Mr.  McEaffle  was  a  dangerous, 
bad  man,  she  declared,  and  she  was  doing  all  she  could  to 
counteract  his  evil  influence  over  Kupert.  Her  sweetness 
to  Jacquelin  was  such  that  he  had  hardly  been  able  to  re- 
strain himself  from  opening  his  heart  to  her  then  and  there, 
and  asking  her  to  let  the  past  be  bygones  and  accept  his 
love.  But  he  had  waited  until  they  should  reach  home, 
and  A  now  they  were  at  the  door.  She  invited  him  to  stay 
to  tea.  Her  voice  thrilled  him.  Jacquelin  suddenly  began 
to  speak  to  her  of  what  was  in  his  heart.  She  dropped  her 
eyes  and  he  was  conscious  that  she  was  trembling.  In  his 
constraint  he  referred  to  the  past,  and  faltered  something 
about  Steve  having  set  him  right.  She  looked  up  quickly. 
He  did  not  heed  it,  but  went  on  and  said  all  he  had  so 
often  rehearsed,  with  a  good  deal  more  than  he  had  planned 
to  say.  Perhaps  he  gathered  confidence  as  he  went  on — 
perhaps  he  showed  it  a  little  too  much ;  for  he  became 
conscious  somehow  that  she  was  not  as  responsive  as  she 
had  been  just  before. 

When  he  was  quite  through,  he  waited.  She  also 
waited  a  moment,  and  then  began. 

She  did  not  care  for  him,  except  as  a  relative,  and  she 
never  expected  to  marry  at  all.  She  was  not  looking  at 
him,  and  was  evidently  speaking  under  strong  feeling. 

Jacquelin's  hopes  were  all  dashed  to  the  ground.  His 
throat  felt  parched,  and  when  he  tried  to  speak  again  his 
lips  did  not  frame  his  words  easily. 

"  May  I  ask  if  you  care  for  anyone  else  ?"  he  demanded, 
in  a  constrained  voice. 

She  did  not  know  that  he  had  any  right  to  ask  her  such 
a  question.  She  had  already  told  him  that  she  never 
expected  to  marry  anyone."  She  had  grown  more  for- 
mal. 

Jacquelin  was  sure  now  that  she  cared  for  Middleton, 
and  she  had  simply  misled  Steve. 

"  What  did  you  tell  Steve  ?"  he  asked. 


388  RED   ROCK 

She  faced  him,  her  figure  quite  straight  and  strong,  her 
flashing  eyes  fastened  searchingly  on  his  face. 

"  So  that's  the  reason  you  have  come  !  Steve  told  you 
to  come,  and  you  have  come  to  say  what  he  told  you  to' 
say.  Well,  go  back  to  him  and  tell  him  I  say  he  was 
mistaken. "  Her  lip  curled  as  she  turned  on  her  heel. 

"  No — no — Blair — wait  one  moment ! "  But  she  had 
walked  slowly  into  the  house,  and  Jacquelin  saw  her 
climb  the  stair. 

A  moment  later  he  mounted  his  horse,  and  came  slowly 
away  down  the  road  he  knew  so  well,  the  road  to  Vain 
regret,  beyond  which,  somewhere,  lies  Despair. 

He  knew  now  it  was  Middleton  who  had  barred  his 
way,  and  that  to  keep  her  secret,  Blair  had  misled  Steve. 
He  might  have  forgiven  her  all  else,  but  he  could  not 
forgive  that. 

When  Jacquelin  announced  the  result  of  his  proposal 
to  Steve,  that  wise  counsellor  laughed  at  him.  He  could 
make  it  up  in  ten  minutes,  he  declared,  and  he  rode  up  to 
see  Blair  next  day.  His  interview  lasted  somewhat  longer 
than  he  had  expected,  and  most  of  the  time  he  had  been 
defending  himself  against  Blair's  scathing  attack.  "When 
he  left,  it  was  with  a  feeling  that  he  had  done  both  Blair 
and  Jacquelin  an  injury,  and  when  he  saw  Jacquelin,  he 
summed  up  his  position  briefly:  "Well,  Jack,  I  give  it 
up.  I  thought  I  knew  something  of  men  and  women  ; 
but  I  give  up  women." 

After  his  interview  with  Major  Welch,  Captain  Allen  had 
appeared  to  be  in  better  spirits  than  he  had  been  in  for  some 
time.  Even  the  letter  he  received  from  that  gentleman  did 
not  wholly  dash  his  hopes,  and  though  they  occasionally 
sank,  they  as  often  rallied  again.  We  know  from  the 
greatest  of  novelists  that  when  a  man  is  cudgelling  his 
brains  for  other  rhymes  to  "sorrow"  besides  "borrow" 
and  "  to-morrow,"  he  is  nearer  light  than  he  thinks. 
Steve  found  this  safety-scape. 

Jacquelin  did  not  write  poetry  or  even  "poems"  on 


A   CUT   DIRECT   AND   A   REJECTED    ADDRESS      389 

the  subject  of  his  disappointment;  but  his  cheek-bones 
began  to  show  more,  and  his  chin  began  to  take  on  a 
firmer  set. 

But  Captain  Allen  was  soon  plunged  as  deep  in  the  abyss 
as  Jacquelin. 

He  was  sitting  in  his  office  looking  out  of  the  window 
one  afternoon,  a  habit  that  had  grown  on  him  of  late, 
when  a  pair  of  riders,  a  lady  and  her  escort,  rode  up  the 
street,  in  plain  view  of  where  he  sat.  At  sight  of  the 
trim  figure  sitting  her  horse  so  jauntily,  Steve's  heart 
gave  a  bound  and  a  light  came  into  his  eyes.  The  next 
instant  a  cloud  followed  as  he  recognized  Miss  Welch's 
companion  as  Dr.  Washington  Still.  Kumor  had  reported 
that  Dr.  Still  was  with  her  a  good  deal  of  late.  Miss 
Thomasia  and  Blair  had  met  them  one  evening  visiting  a 
poor  woman  together.  McRaffle  had  taken  the  trouble  to 
state  that  he  had  frequently  met  them. 

Steve  could  not  believe  that  such  a  girl  as  Ruth  Welch 
could  be  accepting  the  addresses  of  such  a  man  as  young 
Dr.  Still.  She  could  not  know  him.  He  followed  the  girl, 
with  his  eyes,  as  long  as  she  was  in  view.  For  some  mo- 
ments afterward  he  sat  with  a  dogged  resolution-  on  his 
face  ;  but  it  gradually  faded  away,  and  he  rose  and  went 
out,  passing  down  to  the  street.  He  had  not  seen  Ruth 
Welch  face  to  face  since  the  filing  of  Jacquelin's  suit.  But 
she  had  never  been  absent  from  his  thoughts  for  a  moment. 
He  had  heard  that  both  she  and  Mrs.  Welch  had  a  great 
deal  of  feeling  about  the  suit,  and  that  both  had  spoken 
bitterly  of  him  ;  but  Major  Welch  had  received  him  civilly, 
even  though  he  had  denied  his  request  to  be  allowed  to 
offer  himself  as  Ruth's  suitor. 

With  a  combination  of  emotions,  rather  than  with  any 
single  idea  in  his  mind,  Steve  strode  into  the  village  and  up 
the  street.  He  wanted  to  get  away,  and  he  wanted  to  be 
near  her  and  have  a  look  in  her  face ;  but  he  had  no  definite 
intention  of  letting  her  see  him,  none,  at  least,  of  meeting 
her.  But  as  he  turned  a  corner  into  a  shady  street  they 


390  RED    ROCK 

were  coming  back  and  Steve  saw  that  even  at  a  distance 
Kuth  Welch  knew  him.  He  could  not  turn  back ;  so  kept 
on,  and  as  they  passed  him  he  raised  his  hat.  Miss  Welch's 
escort,  with  a  supercilious  look  on  his  face,  raised  his  hat  ; 
but  the  girl  looked  Steve  full  in  the  eyes  and  cut  him  dead. 
The  blood  sprang  into  Steve's  face.  For  any  sign  she 
gave,  except  a  sudden  whitening,  and  a  contraction  of  the 
mouth,  she  might  never  have  seen  him  before  in  all  her 
life.  The  next  second  Steve  heard  her  voice  starting  ap- 
parently a  very  animated  conversation  with  her  escort,  and 
heard  him  reply : 

"Hurrah!  for  you,  that  will  settle  him  ;"  and  break 
into  a  loud  laugh. 

Steve  did  not  return  to  his  office  that  evening.  He 
spent  the  night  wandering  about  in  blind  and  hopeless 
gloom.  But  had  Mr.  Allen  known  what  occurred  during 
the  remainder  of  that  ride  he  might  have  found  in  it  some 
consolation. 

Miss  Euth  had  hardly  gotten  out  of  hearing  of  Captain 
Allen,  and  her  escort  had  scarcely  had  time  to  turn  over 
in  his  mind  his  enjoyment  of  his  rival's  discomfiture  and 
his  own  triumph,  when  the  young  lady  inexplicably 
changed  and  turned  on  him  so  viciously  and  with  so  biting 
a  sarcasm  that  he  was  almost  dumfounded.  The  occa- 
sion for  her  change  was  so  slight  that  Wash  Still  was  com- 
pletely mystified.  It  was  only  some  slighting  little  speech 
he  made  about  the  man  she  had  just  cut  dead. 

"  Why  don't  you  say  that  to  Captain  Allen?  "  she  asked, 
with  a  sudden  flush  on  her  face  and  a  flash  in  her  eyes. 
' ( You,  at  least,  have  not  the  excuse  of  not  speaking  to  him." 

Women  have  this  in  common  with  the  Deity,  that  their 
ways  are  past  finding  out.  The  young  doctor  was  com- 
pletely mystified  ;  but  he  could  not  comprehend  how  Miss 
Welch  could  have  cut  Captain  Allen  without  it,  in  some 
way,  redounding  to  his  own  advantage,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing her  fierceness  and  coldness  toward  him,  he  believed  it 
was  a  favorable  time  for  him. 


A   CUT  DIRECT   AND   A   REJECTED   ADDRESS      391 

The  ride  home  through  the  woods  in  the  soft  summer 
afternoon  presented  an  opportunity  he  had  been  seeking  for 
some  time,  and  the  attitude  Kuth  had  shown  toward  his 
rival  appeared  to  him  to  indicate  that  everything  was  pro- 
pitious. Even  her  attack  he  construed  as  only  a  flash  of 
feminine  caprice.  After  her  little  explosion,  Miss  Welch 
had  lapsed  into  silence,  and  rode  with  her  eyes  on  her 
horse's  mane  and  her  lips  firmly  closed.  The  young  man 
took  it  for  remorse  for  her  conduct,  and  drawing  up  to  her 
side,  began  to  talk  of  himself  and  of  his  affairs.  Euth 
listened  in  silence — so  silently,  indeed,  that  she  scarcely 
seemed  to  be  listening  at  all — and  the  young  doctor  was 
moved  to  enlarge  somewhat  eloquently  on  his  prospects  as 
the  owner  of  both  Birdwood  and  Red  Rock,  the  hand- 
somest places  in  the  County.  Presently,  however,  he 
changed,  and  as  they  reached  a  shady  place  in  the  road, 
began  to  address  her.  He  stated  that  he  thought  she  had 
given  him  reason  to  hope  he  might  be  successful.  The 
change  in  Ruth  was  electric.  She  gave  suddenly  a  vehe- 
ment gesture  of  wild  dissent : 

"Oh!  No!  no!  Don't!"  she  cried,  and  drew  her 
horse  to  a  stand,  turning  in  the  road  and  facing  the  young 
man.  "  No  !  no  !  You  have  misunderstood  me  !  How 
could  you  think  so?  I  have  never  done  it  !  I  never 
dreamed  of  it !  It  is  impossible  !  "  The  deep  color  sprang 
to  her  face,  but  the  next  moment  she  controlled  herself  by 
a  strong  effort,  and  faced  the  young  man  again.  "Dr. 
Still,"  she  said,  calmly  and  with  deep  earnestness,  "  I  am 
sure  that,  wittingly,  I  never  gave  you  the  least  warrant  to 
think — to  suppose  that  I  could — that  you  might  say  to 
me  what  you  have  said.  My  conscience  tells  me  this ;  but 
if  I  have  ever  done  or  said  anything  that  appeared  to  you 
to  be  a  ground  to  build  a  hope  on,  I  am  deeply  sorry,  and 
humbly  beg  your  pardon.  I  beg  you  to  believe  me,  I  never 
intended  it.  I  do  not  wish  to  appear  hard  or — cruel,  but 
I  must  tell  you  now  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  hope  for 
*  u,  and  never  will  be.  I  do  not  love  you,  I  never  could 


392  KED   KOCK 

love,  and  I  will  never  marry,  yon,  never. "  She  conld  not 
have  spoken  more  strongly. 

The  yonng  man's  face,  which  had  begun  by  being  pale, 
had  now  turned  crimson,  and  he  broke  out,  almost  violently 
— reiterating  that  she  had  given  him  ground  to  think  him- 
self favored.  He  cited  the  rides  she  had  taken  with  him. 
Kuth's  eyes  opened  wide  and  her  form  straightened  : 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  discuss  this  further.  I  have  told  you 
the  simple  truth.  I  should  prefer  that  you  go  on  ahead  of 
me — I  prefer  to  ride  home  alone." 

"Why  did  you  cut  Steve  Allen  this  evening? "  Dr.  Still 
persisted,  angrily. 

Kuth's  face  hardened. 

"  Certainly  not  on  your  account/'  she  said,  coldly,  "  or 
for  any  reason  that  you  will  understand.  Go  ;  I  will  ride 
home  alone." 

"  I  used  to  think  you  were  in  love  with  him,  and  so  did 
everybody  else,"  persisted  he  ;  "  but  it  can't  be  him.  Is 
it  that  young  jackanapes,  Rupert  Gray  ?  He's  in  love 
with  you,  but  I  didn't  suppose  you  to  be  in  love  with  a 
boy  like  that." 

Ruth's  face  flamed  with  indignation. 

"  By  what  right  do  you  question  me  as  to  such  things  ? 
Go,  I  will  ride  home  alone."  She  drew  her  horse  back 
and  away  from  him.  The  young  man  hesitated  for  a 
moment,  but  Ruth  was  inexorable. 

"  If  you  please — go  ! "  she  said,  coldly,  pointing  down 
the  road. 

"  Well,  I  will  go,"  he  burst  out,  angrily.  "  But  Rupert 
Gray  and  the  whole  set  of  'em  had  better  look  out  for 
me,"  and  with  a  growl  of  rage,  he  struck  his  horse  and 
galloped  away. 

Miss  Welch  rode  on  alone,  her  heart  moved  by  conflict- 
ing emotions — indignation,  apprehension — and  yet  others, 
deeper  than  these.  What  right  had  this  man  to  treat  her 
so  ?  She  flushed  again  with  indignation  as  she  thought 
of  his  insolence.  It  seemed  to  her  almost  an  insult  to 


A   CUT  DIRECT   AND   A   REJECTED   ADDRESS      393 

have  been  addressed  by  him.  She  went  over  in  her  mind 
her  conduct  toward  him.  There  never  was  one  thing  of 
which  he  could  have  a  right  to  complain.  Of  this  she 
was  sure.  It  could  not  be  otherwise,  for  she  had  never 
for  a  moment  been  free  from  a  consciousness  of  antipathy 
to  him.  Then  she  went  over  her  present  situation,  the 
situation  of  her  father  and  mother,  now  so  lonely  and  cut 
off  from  everyone.  The  cool,  still  woods,  the  deserted 
road,  the  far-reaching  silence,  were  such  as  to  inspire  lone- 
liness and  sadness,  and  Ruth  was  on  the  verge  of  tears 
when  the  gallop  of  a  horse  came  to  her  from  ahead.  She 
wondered  if  it  could  be  Wash  Still  returning,  and  a  mo- 
mentary wave  of  apprehension  swept  over  her.  The  next 
instant  Rupert  Gray  cantered  in  sight.  Ruth's  first 
thought  was  one  of  relief,  the  next  was  that  she  ought  to 
be  cool  to  him.  But  as  the  boy  galloped  up  to  her,  his 
young  face  glowing  with  pleasure,  and  reined  in  his  horse, 
all  her  intended  formality  disappeared,  and  she  returned 
his  greeting  cordially. 

"  Well,  I  am  in  luck/'  he  exclaimed.  "  Mayn't  I  ride 
home  with  you?  "  He  had  assumed  her  consent,  and  turned 
his  horse  without  waiting  for  it. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  may  be  going  somewhere  and  I  may 
detain  you." 

"  No,  indeed ;  I  am  my  own  master,"  he  said,  with  a 
toss  of  his  head.  "  Besides,  I  don't  like  you  to  be  riding 
so  late  all  by  yourself." 

The  imitation  of  Steve  Allen's  protecting  manner  was 
so  unmistakable  that  Ruth  could  not  help  smiling. 

"Oh!  I'm  not  afraid.    No  one  would  interfere  with  me." 

"  They'd  better  not  !  If  they  did,  they'd  soon  hear 
from  me,"  declared  the  boy,  warmly,  with  that  mannish 
toss  of  the  head  which  boys  have.  te  I'd  soon  show  'em 
who  Rupert  Gray  is.  Oh  !  I  say  !  I  met  Washy  Still  up 
the  road  yonder,  a  little  way  back,  looking  as  sour  as 
vinegar,  and  you  ought  to  have  seen  the  way  I  cut  him. 
I  passed  him  just  like  this "  (giving  an  imitation  of  his 


394  RED   ROCK 

stare),  "and  you  just  ought  to  have  seen  the  way  he 
looked.  He  looked  as  if  he'd  have  liked  to  shoot  me/' 
He  hurst  into  a  clear,  merry  laugh. 

The  boy's  description  of  himself  was  so  exactly  like  the 
way  Ruth  had  treated  Steve,  that  she  could  not  forbear 
smiling.  The  smile  died  away,  however,  and  an  expres- 
sion of  seriousness  took  its  place. 

"  Eupert,  I  don't  think  it  well  to  make  enemies  of  peo- 
pie " 

"Who  ?  Of  Washy  Still  ?  Pshaw  !  He  knows  I  hate 
him — and  he  hates  me.  I  don't  care.  I  want  him  to  hate 
me.  I'll  make  him  hate  me  worse  before  I'm  done."  It 
was  the  braggadocio  of  a  boy. 

Kuth  thought  of  the  gleam  of  hate  that  had  come  into 
the  man's  eyes.  "  He  might  do  you  an  injury." 

"  Who  ?  Washy  Still  ?  Let  him  try  it.  I'm  a  better 
man  than  he  is,  any  day.  But  he'd  never  try  it.  He's 
afraid  to  look  me  in  the  eyes.  You  don't  like  him,  do 
you  ?  "  he  asked  with  sudden  earnestness. 

"  No,  but  I  think  you  underestimate  him." 

"  Pshaw  !  He  can't  hurt  you — not  unless  you  took  his 
physic — no  other  way.  I  asked  if  you  liked  him,  because 
— because  some  people  thought  you  did,  and  I  said  you 
didn't — I  knew  you  didn't.  I  say,  I  want  to  ask  you  some- 
thing. I  wish  you  wouldn't  let  him  come  to  see  you." 

"Why?" 

"  Why,  because  he  is  not  a  man  you  ought  to  associate 
with — he  is  not  a  gentleman.  He's  a  sneak,  and  his  father's 
a  thief.  He  stole  our  place — just  stole  it — besides  every- 
thing else  he's  stolen." 

"  Why,  you  say  we — my  father  had  something  to  do  with 
that,"  said  Ruth,  quietly. 

"What!  You!  Your  father  ?— I  said  he  stole  !"  He 
reined  up  his  horse,  in  his  amazement. 

"  In  your  suit  or  bill,  or  whatever  you  call  it."  Ruth 
felt  that  it  was  cruel  in  her  to  strike  him  such  a  blow,  yet 
she  enjoyed  it. 


A   CUT   DIRECT  AND   A   REJECTED   ADDRESS      395 

"  I  never  did — we  never  did — you  are  mistaken,"  stam- 
mered the  boy.  "  Why,  I  wouldn't  have  done  it  for  the 
whole  of  Red  Rock — no  more  would  Steve.  Let  me  ex- 
plain. I  know  all  about  it." 

Ruth  looked  acquiescent,  and  as  they  walked  their  horses 
along  under  the  trees  the  boy  tried  to  explain  the  matter. 
He  was  not  very  lucid,  for  he  was  often  confused  ;  but  he 
made  clear  the  desire  they  had  had  to  keep  Major  Welch 
out  of  the  matter,  and  the  sincerity  of  their  motive  in  giv- 
ing him  the  notice  before  he  should  buy,  and  the  anxiety 
they  had  had  and  the  care  they  had  taken  to  make  it  clear 
in  their  suit  that  no  charge  of  personal  knowledge  by  him 
was  intended.  He  also  informed  Ruth  of  Steve's  action  in 
the  matter,  and  of  the  episode  in  the  office  that  night  when 
the  bill  was  signed,  or,  at  least,  of  as  much  of  it  as  he  had 
heard. 

"  But  why  did  he  do  that  ?  "  asked  Ruth. 

"  Don't  you  know  ?  " 

"  N — o."    Very  doubtfully  and  shyly. 

te  Steve's  in  love  with  you  !  " 

"  What  ?  Oh,  no  !  You  are  mistaken."  Ruth  was  con- 
scious that  her  reply  was  silly  and  weak,  and  that  she  was 
blushing  violently. 

"  Yes,  he  is — dead  in  love.  Why,  everybody  knows  it 
— at  least  Jack  does,  and  Blair  does,  and  I  do.  And  I 
am,  too,"  he  added,  warmly.  The  boy's  ingenuous  decla- 
ration steadied  Ruth  and  soothed  her.  She  looked  at  him 
with  a  pleased  and  gratified  light  on  her  face. 

"  I  am — I  am  dead  in  love  with  you,  too.  I  think  you 
are  the  prettiest  and  sweetest  and  kindest  young  lady  in 
the  whole  world — just  as  nice  as  Blair,  every  bit ;  and  I 
just  wish  I  was  older — I  just  wish  you  could  marry  me." 
He  was  blushing  a'nd  turning  white  by  turns,  and  the 
expression  on  his  young  face  was  so  ingenuous  and  sweet 
and  modest,  and  the  light  in  his  eyes  so  adoring,  that  the 
girl's  heart  went  out  to  him.  She  drew  her  horse  over  to 
his  side,  and  put  her  hand  softly  on  his  arm. 


396  RED    ROCK 

"  Rupert,  you  are  a  dear,  sweet  boy,  and,  at  least,  you 
will  let  me  be  your  best  friend,  and  you  will  be  mine,"  she 
said,  sweetly. 

"  Yes,  I  will,  and  I  think  you  are  just  as  good  as  you 
can  be,  and  Fll  be  just  like  your  own  brother,  if  you  will 
let  me." 

"  Indeed,  I  will,  and  we  will  always  be  sister  and  brother 
to  each  other." 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  simply.  A  moment  later  he 
said,  reining  in  his  horse,  "  I  say,  if  you  think  that  suit 
means  anything  against  your  father,  Fll  have  it  stopped." 

"  No,  no,  Rupert ;  I  am  satisfied,"  Ruth  protested, 
with  a  smile. 

"  Because  I  can  do  it ;  Jack  and  Steve  would  do  any- 
thing for  me,  and  I  would  do  anything  for  you.  It  was 
mainly  on  my  account,  anyhow,  that  they  brought  it,  I 
believe,"  he  added.  "  They  said  I  was  a  minor  ;  but,  you 
know,  Fll  soon  be  of  age — I'm  seventeen  now.  I  don't 
know  why  boys  have  to  be  boys,  anyhow  !  I  don't  see 
why  they  can't  be  men  at  once." 

"  I  think  I  know,"  Ruth  smiled,  gazing  at  him  pleas- 
antly. 

"  And,  I  say,  I  want  to  tell  you  one  thing  about  Steve. 
He  isn't  what  people  take  him  to  be.  You  know  ? — Just 
clever  and  dashing  and  wild  and  reckless.  He's  the  best 
and  kindest  fellow  in  the  world.  You  ask  Aunt  Thomasia 
and  Blair  and  Aunt  Peggy  and  Uncle  Waverley  and  old 
Mrs.  Turley,  and  all  the  poor  people  about  the  County. 
And  he's  as  b^ave  as  Julius  Caesar.  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  of  him,  and  you  know  I  wouldn't  tell  you  if  'twa'n't 
so." 

"  I  know,"  said  Ruth,  looking  at  him  more  pleasantly 
than  ever. 

They  were  at  the  gate  now,  and  Ruth  invited  him  in  ; 
but  Rupert  said  he  had  an  engagement. 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  want  to  ask  you  to  do,"  said 
Ruth,  rather  doubtfully. 


A   CUT   DIRECT   AND   A   REJECTED   ADDRESS      397 

"  What  is  it  ? "  he  asked,  brightening ;  and  then,  as 
she  hesitated  :  "  Anything  !  I'll  do  it.  Fll  do  anything 
for  yon,  Miss  Ruth  ;  indeed,  I  will." 

"  No ;  it  is  not  for  me,  but  for  yourself,"  said  Ruth, 
who  was  thinking  of  a  report  that  Rupert  had  been  asso- 
ciating lately  with  some  very  wild  young  men,  and  she  had 
it  in  her  mind  to  ask  him  not  to  do  so  any  more.  "  But, 
no ;  Fll  ask  you  next  time  I  see  you,  maybe,"  she  added, 
after  a  pause. 

"  All  right ;  I  promise  you  Fll  do  it." 

He  said  good-by,  and  galloped  away  through  the  dusk. 

Ruth  stood  for  some  time  looking  after  him,  and  then 
turned  and  entered  the  house,  and  went  softly  to  her 
room. 

Ruth  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  tell  her  mother  or 
father  of  the  incidents  of  her  ride,  except  that  Rupert 
had  ridden  home  with  her.  She  shrank  instinctively 
from  speaking  even  to  her  mother  of  what  had  occurred 
on  the  ride.  She  felt  a  certain  humiliation  in  the  fact 
that  Dr.  Still  had  ventured  to  address  her.  Her  only  con- 
solation was  that  she  knew  she  had  never  given  him  any 
right  to  speak  so  to  her.  She  had  never  gone  anywhere 
with  him  except  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  had  never  been 
anything  but  coldly  polite  to  him.  She  was  relieved  to 
hear  a  few  days  later  that  Dr.  Still  had  left  the  County, 
and,  rumor  said,  had  gone  to  the  city  to  practise  his  pro- 
fession. Anyhow,  he  was  gone,  and  Ruth  felt  much  re- 
lieved, and  buried  her  uncomfortable  secret  in  her  own 
bosom. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

BLAIR  GARY  SAVES  A   RIVAL  SCHOOL 

A  NEW  cause  of  grievance  against  Mrs.  Welch  had  aris- 
en in  the  County  in  her  conduct  of  her  school  near  the 
Bend.  Colored  schools  were  not  a  novelty  in  the  County. 
Blair  Gary  had  for  two  years  or  more  taught  the  colored 
school  near  her  home.  But  Mrs.  Welch  had  made  a  new 
departure.  The  other  school  had  been  talked  over  and  de- 
liberated on  until  it  was  in  some  sense  the  outcome  of  the 
concert  of  the  neighborhood.  Dr.  Cary  gave  the  land  and 
the  timber.  "  Whether  it  will  amount  to  anything  else,  I 
cannot  say  ;  but  it  will  amount  to  this,  sir,"  said  the  Doc- 
tor to  General  Legaie,  "  I  shall  have  done  the  best  I  could 
for  my  old  servants."  And  on  this,  General  Legaie,  who 
had  been  the  most  violent  opponent  of  it  all,  had  sent  his 
ox-team  to  haul  the  stocks  to  the  mill.  "  Not  because  I 
believe  it  will  accomplish  any  good,  sir ;  but  because  a  gen- 
tleman can  do  no  less  than  sustain  other  gentlemen  who 
have  assumed  obligations." 

Thus  Miss  Blair's  school  was  regarded  in  part  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  old  system.  When,  however,  Mrs.  Welch 
started  her  school,  she  consulted  no  one  and  asked  no 
assistance — at  least,  of  the  county  people.  The  aid  she 
sought  was  only  from  her  friends  at  the  North,  and  when 
she  received  it,  she  set  in,  chose  her  place  and  built  her 
school,  giving  out  at  the  same  time  that  it  was  to  be  used 
for  sewing  classes,  debating  societies,  and  other  public 
purposes.  Thus  this  school  came  to  be  considered  as  a  for- 
eign institution,  conducted  on  foreign  principles,  and  in 
opposition  to  the  school  already  established  by  the  neigh- 


BLAIR   GARY   SAVES   A   RIVAL   SCHOOL  399 

borhood.  Mrs.  Welch  not  only  built  a  much  larger  and 
handsomer  structure  than  any  other  school-house  in  that 
section,  but  she  planted  vines  to  cover  the  porch,  and  in- 
troduced a  system  of  prizes  and  rewards  so  far  beyond  any- 
thing heretofore  known  in  the  County,  that  shortly  not 
only  most  of  the  scholars  who  had  attended  Blair's  school 
left,  but  those  from  other  schools  much  farther  off  began 
to  flock  to  Mrs.  Welch's  seminary. 

The  first  teacher  Mrs.  Welch  secured  to  take  charge  of  the 
institution  was  a  slender,  delicate  young  woman  with  deep 
eyes,  thin  cheeks,  and  a  worn  face,  who  by  her  too  assiduous 
devotion  to  what  she  deemed  her  duty  and  an  entire  disre- 
gard of  all  prudence,  soon  reduced  herself  to  such  a  low 
condition  of  health  that  Dr.  Gary,  who  was  called  in,  in- 
sisted that  she  should  be  sent  back  to  her  old  home.  The 
next  teacher,  Miss  Slipley,  was  one  who  had  testimonials 
high  enough  to  justify  the  idea  that  she  was  qualified  to 
teach  in  Tubingen. 

She  was  a  young  woman  of  about  thirty,  with  somewhat 
pronounced  views  and  a  very  pronounced  manner ;  her 
face  was  plain,  but  she  had  a  good  figure,  of  which  Mrs. 
Welch,  who  herself  had  a  fine  figure,  thought  she  was  much 
too  vain,  and  as  her  views  relating  to  the  conduct  of  the 
school  by  no  means  coincided  with  those  of  Mrs.  Welch, 
matters  were  shortly  not  as  harmonious  between  the  two 
as  they  might  have  been.  She  soon  began  to  complain  of 
the  discomforts  of  her  situation  and  her  lack  of  associa- 
tion. Mrs.  Welch  deplored  this,  but  thought  that  Miss 
Slipley  should  find  her  true  reward  in  the  sense  of  duty  per- 
formed, and  told  her  so  plainly.  This,  Miss  Slipley  said, 
was  well  enough  when  one  had  a  husband  and  family  to 
support  her,  but  she  had  had  no  idea  that  she  was  to  live  in 
a  wilderness,  where  her  only  associates  were  negroes,  and 
where  not  a  man  ever  spoke  to  her,  except  to  bow  distantly. 
So  after  a  little  time,  she  had  thrown  up  her  position  and 
gone  home,  and  shortly  afterward  had  married.  This,  to 
Mrs.  Welch,  explained  all  her  high  airs.  Just  then  Mrs. 


400  RED   ROCK 

Welch  received  a  letter  from  a  young  woman  she  knew, 
asking  her  to  look  out  for  a  position  for  her.  During  the 
war  this  applicant  had  been  a  nurse  in  a  hospital,  where 
Mrs.  Welch  had  learned  something  of  her  efficiency.  So 
when  Miss  Slipley  left,  Mrs.  Welch  wrote  Miss  Bush  to 
come. 

"She,  at  least,  will  not  have  Kiss  Slipley's  very  objec- 
tionable drawbacks — for,  if  I  remember  aright,  Miss  Bush 
has  no  figure  at  all/'  said  Mrs.  Welch.  "  Heaven  save  me 
from  women  with  figures  !  When  an  ugly  woman  has  noth- 
ing else,  she  is  always  showing  her  figure  or  her  feet." 

When  Miss  Bush  arrived  Mrs.  Welch  found  her  impres- 
sions verified.  She  was  a  homely  little  body,  yet  with  kind 
eyes  and  a  pleasant  mouth.  She  acceded  cheerfully  to  all 
Mrs.  Welch's  views.  She  was  perfectly  willing  to  live  with 
the  woman  at  whose  house  it  had  been  arranged  that  she 
should  board ;  she  wished,  she  said,  to  live  unobtrusively. 
She  was  in  deep  mourning  and  wore  a  heavy  veil. 

Miss  Bush  had  not  been  in  her  position  long  before  Mrs. 
Welch  felt  that  at  last  she  had  found  the  very  person  for 
the  place.  She  was  as  quiet  as  a  mouse,  and  not  afraid 
of  any  work  whatever.  She  not  only  taught,  but  wholly 
effaced  herself,  and,  in  fact,  proved  a  perfect  treasure. 

By  the  negroes  she  was  called  Miss  May  (a  contraction 
for  Mary),  which  went  abroad  as  her  family  name. 

Miss  May  proved  to  be  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  a  firm 
believer  in  the  somewhat  obsolete,  but  not  less  wise  doc- 
trine, that  to  spare  the  rod  is  to  spoil  the  child,  and  as 
this  came  to  be  known,  it  had  the  effect  of  establishing  her 
in  the  good  esteem  of  the  neighborhood.  Thus,  though 
no  one  visited  her,  Miss  May  received  on  all  hands  a  re- 
spectful regard.  This  was  suddenly  jeopardized  at  the 
opening  of  the  new  campaign,  by  a  report  that  the  school- 
house,  in  addition  to  its  purposes  as  a  school-building, 
was  being  used  as  a  public  hall  by  negroes  for  their  Union- 
league  meetings.  Leech,  whose  headquarters  were  now  in 
the  city,  had  come  up  to  take  charge  of  the  canvass,  and 


BLAIR   GARY   SAVES   A   RIVAL   SCHOOL  401 

had  boasted  that  he  would  make  it  hot  for  his  opponents 
— a  boast  he  appeared  likely  to  make  good.  He  attended 
the  meetings  at  the  new  school-house,  and  it  was  reported 
that  he  had  made  a  speech  in  which  he  said  that  the  whites 
owed  the  negroes  everything ;  that  the  time  had  come  for 
payment,  and  that  matches  were  only  five  cents  a  box, 
and  if  barns  were  burned  they  belonged  to  them.  The  re- 
port of  this  speech  was  carried  through  the  County  next 
day.  One  night  shortly  afterward  Andy  Stamper's  store 
was  burned  to  the  ground,  and  this  was  followed  by  the 
burning  of  several  barns  throughout  Ked  Rock  and  the 
adjoining  counties. 

The  reappearance  of  the  masked  order  that  had  almost 
disappeared  followed  immediately  in  some  places.  A  meet- 
ing was  held  in  Brutusville,  denouncing  the  outrage  of  such 
speeches  as  those  of  Leech,  at  which  Dr.  Gary  presided, 
and  Steve  Allen  and  General  Legaie,  Jacquelin  Gray  and 
Captain  McEaffle  spoke,  but  there  was  no  reappearance  in 
this  County  of  the  masked  men.  McRaffle  denounced  the 
patrons  and  teacher  of  the  new  school  with  so  much  heat 
that  Steve  Allen  declared  he  was  as  incendiary  as  Leech. 

McRaffle  sneered  that  Steve  appeared  to  have  become 
very  suddenly  a  champion  of  the  carpet-bagger,  "Welch ; 
and  Steve  retorted  that  at  least  he  did  not  try  to  bor- 
row from  people  and  then  vilify  them,  but  that  Captain 
McRaffle  could  find  another  cause  to  quarrel  with  him  if 
he  wished  it.  For  a  long  time  there  had  been  bad  blood 
between  Steve  and  McRaffle.  Among  other  causes  was 
McRaffiVs  evil  influence  over  Rupert. 

Rupert  Gray  had  been  growing  of  late  more  and  more 
independent,  associating  with  McRaffle  and  a  number  of 
the  wildest  fellows  in  the  County,  and  showing  a  tendency 
to  recklessness  which  had  caused  all  his  friends  much  con- 
cern. Jacquelin  tried  to  counsel  and  control  him,  but  the  boy 
was  wayward  and  heedless.  Rupert  thought  it  was  hard 
that  he  was  to  be  under  direction  at  an  age  when  Jacque- 
lin had  already  won  laurels  as  a  soldier. 
26 


402  BED  EOCK 

When  his  brother  took  him  to  task  for  going  off  with 
some  of  the  wilder  young  men  in  their  escapades,  Eupert 
only  laughed  at  him. 

"  Why,  Jack,  it's  you  I  am  emulating.  As  Cousin  John 
Gary  would  say,  '  The  trophies  of  Miltiades  will  not  let 
me  sleep/'  And  when  Captain  Allen  tried  to  counsel 
him  seriously,  he  floored  that  gentleman  by  saying  that  he 
had  learned  both  to  drink  and  to  play  poker  from  him. 
He  was,  however,  devoted  to  Blair,  and  she  appeared  to  have 
much  influence  with  him  ;  so  Steve  and  Jacquelin  tried  to 
keep  him  with  her  as  much  as  possible. 

One  evening  shortly  after  the  public  meeting  at  which 
Steve  and  McRaffle  had  had  their  quarrel,  Eupert  appeared 
to  be  somewhat  restless.  Blair  had  learned  the  signs  and 
knew  that  in  such  cases  it  was  likely  to  be  due  to  Eupert's 
having  heard  that  some  mischief  was  on  foot,  and  she  used 
to  devise  all  sorts  of  schemes  to  keep  the  boy  occupied. 
She  soon  discovered  now  what  was  the  matter.  Eupert 
had  heard  a  rumor  that  a  movement  was  about  to  be  di- 
rected against  Miss  May's  school.  None  of  the  men  he 
was  intimate  with  knew  much  about  it.  It  was' only  a 
rumor.  Steve  and  Jacquelin  were  both  away  from  the 
County  attending  Court  in  another  county.  Blair  was 
much  disturbed. 

"  Why,  they  are  going  to  do  it  on  your  account,"  said 
Eupert.  "  They  say  this  school  was  started  to  break  up 
your  school." 

"  Nonsense  !  Do  they  think  that's  the  way  to  help  me? 
The  teacher  is  a  woman,"  urged  Blair.  Eupert's  counte- 
nance fell. 

"  They  aren't  going  to  trouble  her — are  just  going  to 
scare  the  negroes  so  there  won't  be  any  more  meetings  held 
there.  Some  say  she's  kin  to  Leech — or  something." 

"  She  is  nothing  of  the  kind,"  asserted  Blair.  "Euth 
Welch  told  me  she  had  never  seen  Mr.  Leech,  and  declined 
positively  to  see  him.  When  is  it  to  be  ?  " 

"  To-night." 


BLAIR  GARY   SAVES   A  RIVAL   SCHOOL  403 

Blair  lamented  the  absence  of  Jacquelin  and  Steve.  If 
they  were  but  at  home  they  would,  she  knew,  prevent  this 
outrage. 

"  Oh  !  Jacquelin  and  Steve  !  They  are  nothing  but  old 
fogies/'  laughed  Eupert.  "  McEaffle,  he's  the  man  ! " 
With  a  toss  of  his  head  he  broke  into  a  snatch  of  Bonny 
Dundee. 

Blair  watched  him  gravely  for  a  moment. 

"  Eupert/'  she  said,  "  Captain  McEaffle  is  nothing  but 
a  gambler  and  an  adventurer.  He  is  not  worthy  to  be 
named  in  the  same  breath  with — with  Steve  and — your 
brother  any  more  than  he  is  to  be  named  with  my  father. 
This  is  the  proof  of  it,  that  he  is  going  to  try  to  interfere 
with  a  woman.  Why  does  he  not  go  after  Colonel  Leech, 
who  made  the  speech  there  ? "  Eupert's  face  grew  grave. 
Blair  pressed  her  advantage. 

"  He  is  a  coward ;  for  he  would  never  dare  to  under- 
take such  a  thing  if  your  brother  and  Steve  were  at  home. 
He  takes  advantage  of  their  absence  to  do  this,  when  he 
knows  that  Miss  May  has  no  defender." 

Rupert's  eye  flashed. 

"  By  George  !  I  never  thought  of  that/'  he  burst  out. 
"  She  has  got  a  defender.  I'll  go  there  and  stand  guard 
myself.  You  needn't  have  any  fear,  Blair,  if  I'm  there." 
He  hitched  his  coat  around  in  such  a  way  as  to  display  the 
butt  of  a  huge  pistol.  Blair  could  not  help  smiling.  But 
this  was  not  what  she  wanted.  She  was  afraid  to  send 
Eupert  to  guard  the  place.  He  had  not  judgment  enough. 
If  what  the  boy  had  heard  were  true,  something  might 
happen  to  him  if  he  went  there.  She  knew  that  he  would 
defend  it  with  his  life  ;  but  she  was  afraid  of  the  conse- 
quences. So  she  set  to  work  to  put  Eupert  on  another  tack. 
She  wanted  him  to  go  down  to  the  county  seat  and  learn 
what  he  could  of  the  plans,  and  try  to  keep  the  men  from 
coming  at  all.  This  scheme  was  by  no  means  as  agreeable 
to  Eupert  as  the  other,  but  he  finally  yielded,  and  set  out. 
Blair  watched  him  ride  away  through  the  orchard,  the  even- 


404  RED   ROCK 

ing  light  falling  softly  around  him  as  he  cantered  off.  She 
sat  still  for  a  little  while  thinking.  Suddenly  she  rose, 
and  going  into  the  house  found  her  mother  and  held  a 
short  consultation  with  her.  A  few  moments  later  she 
came  out  with  her  hat  on,  and  disappeared  among  the 
apple-trees,  walking  rapidly  in  the  same  direction  Rupert 
had  taken.  Her  last  act  as  she  left  the  house  was  to  call 
softly  to  her  mother  : 

"When  Rupert  comes  back  send  him  after  me.  I  will 
wait  for  him  at  Mr.  Stamper's." 

It  had  occurred  to  her  that  Andy  Stamper  would  do 
what  she  was  afraid  to  have  a  rash  hoy  like  Rupert  at- 
tempt. Andy  hated  Leech,  to  whom  he  charged  the  burn- 
ing of  his  store  ;  but  he  was  devoted  to  Miss  Welch.  And 
he  had  told  Blair  of  seeing  Miss  May  once  pull  down  her 
veil  to  keep  from  looking  at  Leech. 

When,  however,  Blair  arrived  at  the  Stampers's  Mr. 
Stamper  was  absent.  But  she  found  an  heroic  enough  ally 
in  his  representative,  Mrs.  Delia,  to  make  up  for  all  other 
deficiencies.  The  idea  of  the  possibility  of  an  injury  to 
one  of  her  sex  fired  that  vigorous  soul  with  a  flame  not  to 
be  quenched. 

"  I  jest  wish  my  Andy  was  here,"  she  lamented.  "  He'd 
soon  straighten  'em  out.  Not  as  I  cares,  Miss  Blair,  about 
the  school,  or  the  teacher,"  she  said,  with  careful  limita- 
tion ;  "for  I  don't  like  none  of  'em,  and  I'd  be  glad  if 
they'd  all  go  back  where  they  come  from.  The  old  school 
was  good  enough  for  me,  and  them  as  can't  find  enough 
in  white  folks  to  work  on,  outdoes  me.  But — a  man  as 
can't  git  a  man  to  have  a  fuss  with  and  has  to  go  after  a 
woman,  Delia  Stamper  jist  wants  to  git  hold  of  him.  I 
never  did  like  that  Cap'n  McRaffler,  anyhow.  He  owes 
Andy  a  hundred  and  twenty-nine  dollars,  and  if  I  hadn't 
stopt  Andy  from  givin'  him  things — that's  what  I  call  it — 
jest  givin9  'em  to  him — sellin'  on  credit,  he'd  a  owed  us 
five  hundred.  He  knows  better  th'n  to  fool  with  me." 
She  gave  a  belligerent  shake  of  her  head.  "  I'll  tell  you 


BLAIR  GARY   SAVES   A   RIVAL  SCHOOL          405 

what,  Miss  Blair,"  she  suddenly  broke  out.  "  Our  men 
folks  are  all  away.  If  they  are  comin'  after  women,  let's 
give  ''em  some  women  to  meet  as  know  how  to  deal  with  'em. 
I  wants  to  meet  Captain  McRaffier,  anyhow."  Another 
shake  of  the  head  was  given,  this  time  up  and  down,  and 
her  black  eyes  began  to  sparkle.  Blair  looked  at  her  with 
new  satisfaction. 

"  That  is  what  I  wish.  That  is  why  I  came,  "  she  said. 
"  Can  you  leave  your  children  ?" 

"  They  are  all  right,"  said  Mrs.  Stamper,  with  kindling 
eyes.  "  I  ain't  been  on  such  an  expedition  not  since  the 
war.  Til  leave  word  for  Andy  to  come  as  soon  as  he  gits 
home." 

As  they  sallied  forth,  Mrs.  Stamper  put  into  her  pocket 
a  big  pistol  and  her  knitting.  "  One  gives  me  courage  to 
take  the  other,"  she  said. 

It  was  a  mile  or  two  through  the  woods  to  the  school- 
house,  and  the  novel  guards  arrived  at  their  post  none  too 
soon.  As  they  emerged  from  the  woods  into  the  little 
clearing  on  one  side  of  which  stood  the  church  and  on  the 
other  the  new  school-house,  the  waning  moon  was  just 
rising  above  the  tree-tops,  casting  a  ghostly  light  through 
the  trees  and  deepening  the  shadows.  The  school-house 
was  considerably  larger  than  any  other  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  over  one  end  of  the  porch  Miss  May  had  trained 
a  Virginia  creeper.  The  two  guards  took  their  seats  in 
the  shadow  of  the  vine.  They  were  both  somewhat  awed 
by  the  situation,  but  from  different  causes.  Blair's  feel- 
ing was  due  to  the  strangeness  of  her  situation  out 
there,  surrounded  by  dark  woods  filled  with  the  cries  of 
night  insects  and  the  mournful  call  of  the  whip-poor- 
will.  Mrs.  Stamper  confessed  that  the  graves  amid  the 
weeds  around  the  church  were  what  disquieted  her.  For 
she  boasted  that  she  "was  not  afeared  of  that  man  living." 
But  she  admitted  mournfully,  "  I  am  certainly  afeared  of 
ghosts." 

The  two  sentinels  had  but  a  short  time  to  wait.     They 


406  RED   ROCK 

had  not  been  there  long  before  the  tramp  of  horses  was 
heard,  and  in  a  little  while  from  the  woods  opposite  them 
emerged  a  cavalcade  of,  perhaps,  a  dozen  horsemen.  Mrs. 
Stamper  clutched  Blair  with  a  grip  of  terror,  for  men  and 
horses  were  heavily  shrouded  and  looked  ghostly  enough. 
Blair  was  trembling,  but  not  from  fear,  only  from  excite- 
ment. The  presence  of  the  enemy  suddenly  strung  her  up, 
and  she  put  her  hand  on  her  companion  encouragingly. 
Just  then  one  of  the  men  burst  into  a  loud  laugh.  Mrs. 
Delia's  grip  relaxed. 

"  I  know  that  laugh/'  she  said,  with  a  sigh  of  deep  relief. 
"  Jest  let  him  ride  up  here  and  try  some  of  his  shenanigin  !  " 
She  began  to  pull  at  her  pistol,  but  Blair  seized  her. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  don't,"  she  whispered  ;  and  Mrs. 
Stamper  let  the  pistol  go,  and  they  squeezed  back  into  the 
shadow.  Just  then  the  men  rode  up  to  the  school-house 
door.  They  were  discussing  what  they  should  do.  "  Burn 
the  house  down,"  declared  the  leader.  "  Drive  the  old 
hag  away."  But  this  met  with  fierce  opposition. 

' '  I  didn't  come  out  here  to  burn  any  house  down,"  said 
one  of  the  men,  "  and  I'm  not  going  to  do  it.  You  can 
put  your  notice  up  and  come  along." 

"Ah  !  you're  afraid,"  sneered  the  other. 

There  was  a  movement  among  the  horsemen,  and  the 
man  so  charged  rode  up  to  the  head  of  the  column  and 
pulled  his  horse  in  front  of  the  leader.  There  was  a  gleam 
of  steel  in  the  light  of  the  moon. 

"  Take  that  back,  or  I'll  make  you  prove  it,"  he  said, 
angrily.  ' '  Eide  out  there  and  draw  your  pistol ;  we'll 
let  Jim  here  give  the  word,  and  we'll  see  who's  afraid." 

Their  companions  crowded  around  them  to  make  peace. 
The  leader  apologized.  The  sentiment  of  the  crowd  was 
evidently  against  him. 

"Now  get  down  and  fix  up  your  notice  to  Leech,  and 
let's  be  going,"  said  one  of  the  peacemakers. 

The  leader  dismounted  and  started  up  to  the  door.  As 
he  did  so,  one  of  the  two  young  women  stepped  forward. 


SHE  GAVE  A   STEP  FORWARD  AND  WITH  A  QUICK    MOVEMENT  PULLED  THE 
MASK   FROM   HIS   FACE. 


BLAIR   GARY   SAVES   A   RIVAL   SCHOOL  407 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Stamper.  The  man 
positively  staggered  from  surprise,  and  a  murmur  of  as- 
tonishment broke  from  the  horsemen.  Mrs.  Stamper  did 
not  give  them  time  to  recover.  With  true  soldierly  in- 
stinct she  pressed  her  advantage.  "  I  know  what  you 
want/'  she  said,  with  scorn.  "  You  want  to  scare  a  poor 
woman  who  ain't  got  anybody  to  defend  her.  You  ain't 
so  much  against  niggers  and  carpet-baggers  as  you  make 
out.  I  know  you." 

"  You  know  nothing  of  the  kind/'  growled  the  man,  an- 
grily, in  a  deep  voice.  He  had  recovered  himself.  "  What 
business  have  you  here  ?  Go  home,  wherever  that  may  be, 
and  leave  the  Invisible  Empire  to  execute  its  dread  de- 
crees." 

"  Dread  fiddlesticks  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Stamper.  "  I 
don't  know  you,  don't  I  ?  "  She  gave  a  step  forward  and, 
with  a  quick  movement,  caught  and  pulled  the  mask  from 
his  face.  "  I  don't  know  you,  Captain  McKaffle  ?  And 
you  don't  know  me,  do  you  ?  "  With  an  oath  the  man 
made  a  grab  for  his  mask,  and,  snatching  it  from  her,  has- 
tily replaced  it.  She  laughed  triumphantly.  "  No,  I 
didn't  know  you,  Captain  McRaffle.  I've  got  cause  to 
know  you.  And  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself 
coming  out  here  to  harm  a  poor  woman.  So  ought  all  of 
you  ;  and  you  are,  I  know,  every  mother's  son  of  you.  If 
you  want  to  do  anything,  why  don't  you  do  it  to  men,  and 
openly,  like  Andy  Stamper  and  Capt'n  Allen  ?  " 

"  It  hasn't  been  so  long  since  they  were  in  the  order," 
sneered  McRaffle. 

"  Yes,  and,  when  they  were,  there  were  gentlemen  in  it," 
fired  back  Mrs.  Stamper ;  ( '  and  they  went  after  men,  not 
women." 

"  We  didn't  come  to  trouble  any  woman ;  we  came  to 
give  notice  that  no  more  night-meetings  and  speeches 
about  burning  houses  were  to  be  held  here,"  growled  Mc- 
Raffle. 

"  Yes ;  so  you  set  an  example  by  wanting  to  burn  down 


408  EED   EOCK 

houses  yourself  ?  That's  the  way  you  wanted  to  give  no- 
tice, if  it  hadn't  been  for  those  gentlemen  there." 

"  She's  too  much  for  you,  Captain/'  laughed  his  com- 
rades. 

"  We're  trying  to  help  out  our  own  people,  and  to  keep 
the  carpet-baggers  from  breaking  up  Miss  Gary's  school/' 
said  McRaffle,  trying  to  defend  himself. 

"  No  doubt  Miss  Gary  will  be  much  obliged  to  you." 

"  No  doubt  she  will.  I  have  good  reason  to  know  she 
will/'  affirmed  McRaffle ;  "  and  you'll  do  well  not  to  be 
interfering  with  our  work/'  There  was  a  movement  in 
the  corner  behind  Mrs.  Stamper. 

"  Ah !  Well,  I'll  let  her  thank  you  in  person/'  said 
Mrs.  Stamper,  falling  back  with  a  low  bow,  as  Miss  Gary 
herself  advanced  from  the  shadow.  The  astonishment  of 
the  men  was  not  less  than  it  had  been  when  Mrs.  Stamper 
first  confronted  them. 

Blair  spoke  in  a  clear,  quiet  voice  that  at  once  enforced 
attention.  She  disclaimed  indignantly  the  charge  that 
had  just  been  made  by  the  leader,  and  seconded  all  that 
Mrs.  Stamper  had  said.  Her  friends,  if  she  had  any  in  the 
party,  could  not,  she  declared,  do  her  a  worse  service  than 
to  interfere  with  this  school.  She  knew  that  its  patrons 
had  reprobated  the  advantage  that  had  been  taken  of  their 
action  in  allowing  the  building  to  be  used  as  a  public  hall. 

When  she  was  through,  several  of  the  riders  asked  leave 
to  accompany  her  and  Mrs.  Stamper  home,  assuring  her 
that  the  school-house  would  not  be  interfered  with. 

This  offer,  however,  they  declined.  They  were  "  not 
afraid,"  they  said. 

"  We  don't  think  you  need  tell  us  that,"  laughed  sev- 
eral of  the  men. 

Just  then  there  was  the  sound  of  horses  galloping  at 
top  speed,  and  in  a  second  Rupert  Gray  and  Andy  Stamper 
dashed  up  breathless. 

Mrs.  Stampei  and  Miss  Gary  explained  the  situation. 
Hearing  from  Mrs.  Stamper  what  McRaffle  had  said  about 


BLAIR  CARY   SAVES   A   RIVAL   SCHOOL  409 

Blair,  Rupert  flashed  out  that  he  would  settle  with  Cap- 
tain McRaffle  about  it  later. 

For  a  moment  or  two  it  looked  as  if  there  might  be  a 
serious  misunderstanding.  But  Blair,  seconded  by  the 
men  who  had  offered  to  conduct  them  home  and  by  Mrs. 
Stamper,  quieted  matters ;  and  the  cavalcade  of  masked 
men  rode  away  in  one  direction,  whilst  Andy  and  Rupert 
rode  off  in  the  other  with  the  two  young  women  behind 
them,  leaving  the  little  school-house  as  peaceful  in  the 
moonlight  as  if  there  had  never  been  a  sound  except  the 
cicalas'  cry  and  the  whip-poor-wills  call  within  a  hundred 
miles. 

The  incident  had  some  far-reaching  consequences.  Only 
a  day  or  two  later  Captain  McRaffle  went  to  town  ;  and  a 
short  time  after  there  was  quite  a  sensation  in  the  county 
over  a  notice  in  Leech's  organ,  announcing  that  Colonel 
McRaffle,  long  disgusted  with  the  brutal  methods  of  the 
outlaws  who  disgraced  the  State,  had  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  party  that  employed  such  methods ;  that, 
indeed,  he  had  long  since  done  so,  but  had  refrained  from 
making  public  his  decision  in  order  that  he  might  obtain 
information  as  to  the  organization,  and  thus  render  his 
country  higher  service  than  he  could  otherwise  do. 

The  next  issue  of  the  paper  announced  the  appointment 
of  "  the  able  counsellor,  Colonel  McRaffle,"  to  the  office 
of  Commissioner  of  the  Court,  in  which  position,  it  stated, 
his  experience  and  skill  would  prove  of  inestimable  benefit 
to  the  country  ! 

It  was,  perhaps,  well  for  the  new  commissioner  that 
his  office  was  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

LEECH    AND    STILL     MAKE    A    MOVE,    AND    TWO     WOMEN 
CHECK    THEM 

THE  departure  of  Leecli  and  Still  from  the  County  was 
followed  by  the  quieting  down  which  always  signalized 
their  absence.  The  County  breathed  the  freer  and  enjoyed 
the  calm,  knowing  that  when  they  returned  there  would 
be  a  renewed  girding  of  loins  for  the  struggle  which  the 
approaching  campaign  would  inevitably  bring.  It  was 
not  even  disquieted  over  the  rumors  of  some  unusual 
move  which,  it  was  reported,  the  Government,  on  the 
application  of  Leech  and  Still,  would  make  to  strengthen 
their  hands.  These  rumors  had  been  going  on  so  long 
that  they  were  hardly  heeded  now.  It  would  be  time 
enough  to  meet  the  storm  when  it  came,  as  it  had  met 
others ;  meanwhile,  the  people  of  Red  Rock  would  enjoy 
the  calm  that  had  befallen.  The  calm  would  be  broken 
when  Leech  and  Still  returned  for  the  trial  of  the  Red 
Rock  case  at  the  approaching  term  of  court.  Steve  Allen 
and  Jacquelin,  meanwhile,  were  applying  all  their  energies 
to  preparation  for  the  trial.  Rupert,  filled  with  the  desire 
to  do  his  part,  was  riding  up  and  down  the  County  notify- 
ing their  witnesses,  and,  it  must  be  said,  talking  with  a 
boy's  imprudence  of  what  they  were  going  to  do  at  the 
trial.  "  They  were  going  to  show  that  Still  was  a  thief, 
and  were  going  to  run  him  and  Leech  out  of  the  County," 
etc. 

Rupert  left  home  one  morning  to  go  to  the  railway,  prom- 
ising to  return  that  evening.  Jacquelin  sat  up  for  him, 

ut  he  did  not  come  ;  and  as  he  did  not  appear  next  morn- 

410 


LEECH  AND   STILL  MAKE  A  MOVE  411 

ing,  and  no  word  had  come  from  him,  Jacqueliii  rode 
down  in  the  evening  to  see  about  him.  At  the  station  he 
learned  that  Rupert  had  been  there,  but  had  left  a  little 
before  dark,  the  evening  before,  to  return  home.  He  had 
fallen  in  with  three  or  four  men  who  had  just  come  from 
the  city  on  the  train,  and  were  making  inquiries  concern- 
ing the  various  places  and  residents  in  the  upper  end  of 
the  County,  something  about  all  of  which  they  had  ap- 
peared to  know.  They  said  they  were  interested  in  timber 
lands  and  had  a  good  deal  of  law  business  they  wished  at- 
tended to,  and  they  wanted  advice  as  to  who  were  the  best 
lawyers  of  the  County  ;  and  Rupert  said  he  could  tell  them 
all  about  the  lawyers  :  that  General  Legaie  and  Mr.  Bagby 
were  the  best  old  lawyers,  and  his  brother  and  Steve  Allen 
were  the  best  young  lawyers.  They  asked  him  about 
Leech  and  McRaffle. 

Leech  wasn't  anything.  Yes,  he  was — he  was  a  thief, 
and  so  was  Still.  Still  had  stolen  his  father's  bonds  ;  but 
wait  until  he  himself  got  on  the  stand,  he'd  show  him  up  ! 
McRaffle  was  a  turncoat  hound,  who  had  stolen  money 
from  a  woman  and  then  tried  to  run  her  out  of  the 
County. 

One  of  the  men  who  lived  about  the  station  told  Jacque- 
lin  that  he  had  gone  up  and  tried  to  get  Rupert  away  from 
the  strangers,  and  urged  him  to  go  home,  but  that  the  boy 
was  too  excited  by  this  time  to  know  what  he  was  doing. 

"  He  was  talking  pretty  wildly,"  he  said,  "  and  was 
abusing  Leech  and  Still  and  pretty  much  all  the  Rads.  I 
didn't  mind  that  so  much,  but  he  was  blowing  about  that 
old  affair  when  the  negro  soldiers  were  shot,  and  about 
the  K.K.'s  and  the  capture  of  the  arms,  and  was  telling 
what  he  did  about  it.  You  know  how  a  boy  will  do  ! 
And  I  put  in  to  stop  him,  but  he  wouldn't  be  hearsaid. 
He  said  these  men  were  friends  of  his  and  had  come  up  to 
employ  you  all  in  a  lawsuit,  and  knew  Leech  and  Still 
were  a  parcel  of  rascals.  So  I  let  him  alone,  and  he  went 
off  with  'em,  along  with  a  wagon  they'd  hired,  saying  he 


412  RED   ROCK 

was  going  to  show  them  the  country,  and  I  supposed  he 
was  safe  home/' 

By  midnight  the  whole  population  of  that  part  of  the 
County  was  out,  white  and  black,  and  the  latter  were  as 
much  interested  as  the  former.  All  sorts  of  speculation 
was  indulged  in,  and  all  sorts  of  rumors  started.  Some 
thought  he  had  been  murdered,  and  others  believed  he 
and  his  companion  had  gotten  on  a  spree  and  had  prob- 
ably gone  off  together  to  some  adjoining  county,  or  even 
had  turned  at  some  point  and  gone  to  the  city ;  but  the 
search  continued.  Meantime,  unknown  to  the  searchers, 
an  unexpected  ally  had  entered  the  field. 

That  evening  Ruth  Welch  was  sitting  at  home  quietly 
reading  when  a  servant  brought  a  message,  that  a  man  was 
at  the  door  asking  to  see  Major  Welch.  It  happened  that 
Major  Welch  was  absent  in  town,  and  Mrs.  Welch  had 
driven  over  that  afternoon  to  see  a  sick  woman.  So  Ruth 
went  out  to  see  the  man.  He  was  a  stranger,  and  Ruth 
was  at  once  struck  by  something  peculiar  about  him.  He 
was  a  little  unsteady  on  his  feet,  his  voice  was  thick,  and, 
at  first,  he  did  not  appear  to  quite  take  in  what  Ruth  told 
him.  He  had  been  sent,  he  repeated  several  times,  to  tell 
"Mazhur  Welth"  that  they  had  taken  his  advice  and  had 
made  the  first  arrest,  and  bagged  the  man  who  had  given 
the  information  that  started  that  riot,  and  had  gotten  evi- 
dence enough  from  him  to  hang  him  and  to  haul  in  the 
others  too. 

"  But  I  don't  understand,"  said  the  girl.  < '  What  is  all 
this  about  ?  Who's  been  arrested,  and  who  is  to  be  hung  ? 
My  father  has  never  advised  the  arrest  of  anyone." 

"  Tha's  all  I  know,  miss,"  said  the  man.  "  At  least, 
tha's  all  I  was  to  tell.  I  was  told  to  bring  him  that  mes- 
sage, and  I  guess  it's  so,  'cause  they've  got  the  young 
fellow  shut  up  in  a  jail  since  last  night  and  as  drunk  as  a 
monkey,  and  don't  anybody  know  he's  there — tha's  a  good 
joke,  ain't  it  ? — and  to-morrow  mornin'  they'll  take  him 
to  the  city  and  lodge  him  in  the  jail  there,  and  't  '11  go 


LEECH  AND   STILL   MAKE  A  MOVE  413 

pretty  hard  with  him.  Don't  anybody  know  he's  there, 
and  they're  huntin'  everywheres  for  him."  He  appeared 
to  think  this  a  great  joke. 

"  But  I  don't  understand  at  all  whom  you  mean  ?  " 

"  The  young  one.  They  bagged  him,  and  they're  after 
the  two  older  ones  too,"  he  said,  confidentially.  He  was  so 
repulsive  that  Ruth  shrank  back. 

"  The  one  they  calls  Rupert ;  but  they're  after  the  two 
head  devils — his  brother  and  that  Allen  one.  *  Them's  the 
ones  the  colonel  and  your  friend  over  there  want  to  jug." 
He  jerked  his  thumb  in  the  direction  of  Red  Rock. 

It  all  flashed  on  the  girl  in  a  moment. 

"  Oh  !  They  have  arrested  Mr.  Rupert  Gray,  and  they 
want  Mr.  Jacquelin  Gray  and  Captain  Allen  ?  Who  has 
arrested  him  ?  " 

"  The  d — tectives.  But  them's  the  ones  had  it  done — 
Major  Leech  and  Mist*  Still."  He  winked  elaborately,  in 
a  way  that  caused  Ruth  to  stiffen  with  indignation. 

"  What  was  it  for  ?  "  she  asked,  coldly. 

"For  murder — killin'  them  men  three  or  four  years 
back.  They've  got  the  dead  wood  on  'em  now — since  the 
young  one  told  all  about  it." 

"  Has  he  confessed  ?    What  did  he  say  ?  " 

"Enough  to  hang  him  and  them  too,  I  heard.  Yon 
see  they  tanked  him  up  and  led  him  on  till  he  put  his 
head  in  the  noose.  Oh  !  they're  pretty  slick  ones,  them 
detectives  is.  They  got  him  to  pilot  'em  most  to  the  jail 
door,  and  then  they  slipped  him  in  there,  to  keep  him  till 
they  take  him  to  the  city  to-morrow.  He  was  so  drunk — 
don't  nobody  know  who  he  was,  and  he  didn't  know  him- 
self. And  they  huntin'  all  over  the  country  for  him  !" 
He  laughed  till  he  had  to  support  himself  against  the 
door. 

The  expression  on  Ruth's  face  was  such  that  the  man 
noticed  it. 

"  Oh  !  don't  you  mind  it,  miss.  I  don't  think  they're 
after  the  young  one.  They're  after  the  two  elder  ones,  and 


414  RED   ROCK 

if  he  gives  it  away  so  they  ever  get  them  they'll  be  easy  on 
him." 

Kuth  uttered  an  exclamation  of  disgust. 

"  He'll  never  give  it  away "     She  checked  herself. 

"Don't  know — a  man'll  do  a  heap  to  save  his  own 
neck."  He  made  a  gesture,  drawing  his  hand  across  his 
throat  significantly. 

"I  know  that  young  man,  and  I  say  he'll  die  before 
he'd  betray  a'nyone — much  less  his  cousin  and  brother." 

"  Well,  maybe  so." 

Just  as  the  messenger  turned  away  Ruth  caught  sight  of 
someone  standing  in  the  shrubbery,  and  as  the  man  went 
out  of  the  gate  the  person  came  forward.  It  was  Virgy  Still. 
She  appeared  to  be  in  a  state  of  great  agitation,  and 
began  to  tell  Ruth  a  story  in  which  her  father  and  Rupert 
Gray  and  Major  Leech  were  all  mixed  up  so  incoherently 
that,  but  that  Ruth  had  just  heard  the  facts,  she  could 
never  have  been  able  to  unravel  it.  At  length  Ruth  was 
able  to  calm  her  and  to  get  her  account.  She  had  sent 
a  man  over  to  tell  Ruth,  but  she  was  so  afraid  he  had 
not  come  that  she  had  followed  him.  "They  want  to 
get  rid  of  Mr.  Rupert.  It  has  something  to  do  with  the 
case  against  pa  and  your  father.  They  are  afraid  Mr. 
Rupert  will  give  evidence  against  them,  and  they  mean 
to  put  him  in  jail  and  keep  him  from  doing  it.  Do  you 
know  what  it  is  ?  " 

Ruth  shook  her  head. 

"  I  do  not  either.  I  heard  them  talking  about  it,  but  I 
did  not  understand  what  it  was.  They  ain't  after  Mr. 
Rupert ;  they're  after  Mr.  Jacquelin  and  Captain  Allen." 

She  suddenly  burst  into  tears. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Ruth,"  she  sobbed,  "  you  don't  know — you 
don't  know " 

"  I  don't  know  what  ?"  asked  Ruth,  gently. 

"  He  is  the  only  one  that  was  always  kind  to  me." 

"Who?" 

"  Mr.  Jacquelin.    He  was  always  good  to  me ;  when  I 


LEECH   AND    STILL   MAKE   A   MOVE  415 

was  a  little  bit  of  girl  he  was  always  kind  to  me.  And  now 
he  hates  me,  and  I  never  wanted  the  place  I" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  think  he  does,"  said  Euth,  consolingly. 

"  Yes,  he  does ;  I  know  he  does,"  sobbed  the  girl. 
' '  And  I  never  wanted  the  place.  I  have  been  miserable 
ever  since  I  went  there." 

Euth.  looked  at  her  with  new  sympathy.  The  idea  that 
the  poor  girl  was  in  love  with  Jacquelin  had  never  crossed 
her  mind.  She  felt  an  unspeakable  pity  for  her. 

"  And  now  they  want  me  to  marry  Mr.  Leech,"  moaned 
the  girl,  "  and  I  hate  him — I  hate  him  !  Oh,  I  wish  we 
never  had  had  the  place.  I  know  he  would  not  want  to 
marry  me  if  pa  did  not  have  it,  and  could  not  help  him 
get  the  governorship.  And  I  hate  him.  I  hope  well  lose 
the  case." 

"  I  would  not  marry  anyone  I  did  not  want  to  marry," 
said  Ruth. 

"  Oh,  you  don't  know,"  said  Virgy.  "  You  don't  know 
Wash.  And  pa  wants  me  to  marry  him  too  ;  he  says  he'll 
be  Governor.  Pa  loves  me,  but  he  won't  hear  to  my  not 
marrying.  And  I'll  have  to  do  it — unless  we  lose  the 
case,"  she  added. 

She  rose  and  went  away,  leaving  Euth  with  a  new  idea 
in  her  mind. 

Euth  sat  still  for  a  few  moments  in  deep  thought.  Sud- 
denly she  sprang  up,  and,  calling  a  servant,  ordered  her 
horse.  While  it  was  being  got  she  seized  a  pencil  and 
scribbled  a  few  lines  on  a  piece  of  paper,  which  she  put 
in  her  pocket. 

She  blushed  to  find  what  an  interest  she  took  in  the 
matter,  and  how  warmly  her  feeling  was  enlisted  on  the 
side  opposed  to  that  which  she  felt  she  ought  to  espouse. 
And  she  hated  herself  to  recognize  the  cause.  She  tried 
to  think  that  it  was  on  account  of  the  poor  wild  boy,  or  on 
account  of  Blair  Gary  and  Miss  Thomasia ;  but  no,  she 
knew  it  was  not  on  their  account — at  least,  not  mainly  so — 
but  on  account  of  another. 


416  BED   ROCK 

When  her  horse  came,  Ruth  muttered  something  to  the 
servant  about  telling  her  mother  that  she  would  be  back 
in  a  little  while  ;  sprang  into  the  saddle  and  galloped 
away,  leaving  the  negro  gazing  after  her  with  wonderment, 
and  mumbling  over  the  message  she  had  given  him. 

Blair  Gary  was  one  of  the  best  horsewomen  in  the  State, 
and  it  was  fortunate  for  Ruth  Welch's  project  that  night 
that,  emulating  her  friend,  she  also  had  become  a  capital 
horsewoman,  self-possessed  and  perfectly  fearless  ;  else  she 
could  not  have  managed  the  high -mettled,  spirited  horse 
she  rode. 

Ruth  knew  her  road  well,  and  as  soon  as  she  turned  into 
the  highway  that  led  to  the  county  seat  she  let  her  horse 
out,  and  they  fairly  flew.  She  passed  a  number  of  men, 
riding  all  of  them  toward  the  court-house,  but  she  dashed 
by  them  too  rapidly  for  them  to  speak  to  her  or  to  recog- 
nize her  in  the  dark.  As  she  came  near  the  village  the 
riders  increased  in  numbers,  so  she  drew  in  her  horse  and 
turned  into  a  by-lane  which  skirted  the  back  of  the  court- 
green  and  led  near  the  lawyers'  offices.  Jumping  her  horse 
over  the  low  fence,  she  tied  him  to  a  swinging  limb  of  a 
tree  where  he  would  be  in  the  shadow,  and,  with  a  pat  or 
two  to  quiet  him  and  keep  him  from  whinnying,  she  made 
her  way  on  foot  into  the  court-green.  There  were  a  num- 
ber of  lights  and  many  men  moving  about  over  across  the 
street  that  ran  between  the  tavern  and  the  court-green  ; 
but  not  a  light  was  visible  in  any  of  the  offices.  Ruth 
walked  down  as  far  as  she  dared,  keeping  close  beside  the 
fence,  and  tried  to  recognize  some  of  the  men  who  were 
moving  about  on  the  tavern  veranda  or  in  the  road  before 
it ;  but  there  was  not  one  that  she -knew.  While  she  was 
listening  the  sound  of  a  horse  galloping  rapidly  came  from 
the  direction  of  the  road  that  led  to  the  railway,  and  the 
next  minute  the  rider  dashed  up.  Ruth's  heart  gave  a 
bound  as  she  recognized  Captain  Allen.  His  coming  seemed 
to  give  her  a  sense  of  security  and  protection.  She  felt 
reassured  and  certain  that  now  everything  would  be  all 


LEECH   AND   STILL   MAKE   A   MOVE  417 

right.  As  Steve  sprang  from  his  horse,  he  was  surrounded 
by  the  crowd  with  eager  questions.  His  first  words,  how- 
eve-r,  damped  Ruth's  hopes. 

No,  no  trace  had  been  found  of  Eupert.  Jacquelin  and 
many  others  were  still  searching  for  him,  and  would  keep 
it  up.  No,  he  felt  sure  he  had  not  been  murdered  by  any 
negro — that  he  had  not  been  murdered  at  all.  He  would 
be  found  in  time,  etc.  All  this  in  answer  to  questions. 

Suddenly  he  singled  out  one  man  and  drew  him  away 
from  the  crowd,  and  to  Ruth's  horror  they  came  across  the 
road  straight  toward  where  she  stood.  She  gave  herself 
up  for  lost.  She  turned  and  would  have  fled,  but  she 
could  not.  Instead,  she  simply  dropped  down  on  the 
ground  and  cowered  beside  the  fence.  They  came  and 
leant  against  the  fence  within  ten  feet  of  her,  on  the  other 
side,  and  began  to  talk.  The  other  person  was  a  stranger 
to  Ruth  ;  but  his  voice  was  that  of  an  educated  man,  and 
Steve  Allen  called  him  Helford,  which  Ruth  remembered 
to  have  heard  somewhere  before. 

"  Well,  where  is  he  ?  "  the  stranger  asked  Steve,  as  soon 
as  they  were  out  of  earshot  of  the  crowd. 

"  Somewhere,  shut  up — hidden/'  said  Allen. 

"  Drunk?" 

"  Yes,  and  that's  not  the  worst  of  it." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?     He'll  turn  up  all  right." 

"  You  think  so  !  He'll  turn  up  in  jail,  and  you  and  I 
shall  too,  if  we  don't  mind.  He's  been  trapped  and  spir- 
ited away — by  detectives,  sent  up  here  on  purpose." 

"  What !  Oh,  nonsense  !  You're  daft  about  the  boy. 
Many  another  young  fellow's  gone  off  and  disappeared,  to 
turn  up  with  nothing  worse  than  a  splitting  head  and 
somewhat  damaged  morals.  You  yourself,  for  instance, 
when  you  were  not  much  older  than  he " 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  interrupted  Steve  ;  "  wait 
until  I  tell  you  all,  and  you'll  see.  I'm  not  given  to  being 
scary,  I  think." 

He  went  on  to  tell  of  Rupert's  falling  in  with  the  men 
27 


418  KED   TCOCK 

at  the  station,  and  of  his  disappearance,  including  all  that 
his  friends  had  learned  of  him  both  before  and  after  he 
left.  The  man  gave  a  low  whistle  of  amazement  and 
dismay. 

"  The  little  fool !  "What  makes  you  think  they  were 
detectives?"  He  was  groping  for  a  shred  of  encourage- 
ment. 

"  I  know  it/'  said  Steve  ;  and  he  gave  his  reasons. 

Ruth  was  astonished  to  see  how  closely  his  reasoning  fol- 
lowed and  unravelled  the  facts  as  she  knew  them. 

"  Well,  where  is  he  now  ?    Back  in  the  city  ?" 

"No.  They  haven't  got  him  there  yet.  They  have  hid 
him  somewhere  and  are  keeping  him  drunk,  and  will  try 
taking  him  off  by  night." 

"  Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"Find  him  and  take  him  away  from  them,"  said  Steve. 
"  If  Leech  or  Still  were  in  the  County  I'd  find  him  in  an 
hour  ;  but  they're  both  in  the  city — been  away  a  fortnight 
hatching  this  thing." 

"All  right,  I'm  with  you.  But  where'll  we  look  ?  You 
say  Leech  and  Still  are  both  away  in  the  city,  and  you 
don't  think  he's  at  either  of  their  places  ?  Where  can 
he  be?" 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I'll  find  out  if  he's  above  ground," 
said  Steve,  "and  some  day  I'll  call  Jonadab  Leech  and 
Hiram  Still  to  a  settling." 

"  I'll  tell  you,  Allen,  where  you  may  find  him,  or,  at  any 
rate,  find  a  trace  of  him.  At  that  new  carpet-bagger's,  Mr. 
Welch's." 

"Nonsense  !     Why  don't  you  look  in  my  office  ?" 

"  You  may  say  so ;  but  I'll  tell  you  you'd  better  look. 
You  all  over  here  think  he's  different  from  the  rest  :  but  I 
tell  you  he  isn't.  When  it  comes  to  these  questions,  they're 

all  tarred  with  the  same  stick,  and  a  d d  black  stick 

it  is." 

Ruth  stirred  with  indignation.  She  wished  she  could 
have  sprung  up  and  faced  him. 


LEECH   AND   STILL   MAKE   A   MOVE  419 

"  We  won't  discuss  that,"  said  Steve,  coldly.  "  Major 
Welch  certainly  differs  widely  from  you  and  me  on  all 
political  questions — perhaps  on  many  other  questions. 
But  he  is  a  gentleman,  and  Fll  stake  my  life  on  his  being 
ignorant  of  anything  like  this.  Gentlemen  are  the  same 
the  world  over  in  matters  of  honor." 

"  Well,  maybe  so — if  you  think  so,"  said  the  other,  im- 
pressed by  Steve's  seriousness.  "  But  I  don't  see  why  you 
should  think  he's  so  different  from  all  the  rest  of  them. 
You  didn't  use  to  find  one  Yankee  so  much  better  than 
another." 

Steve  declared  haughtily  that  he  did  not  wish  to  discuss 
that  question  further,  and  that  he  would  have  his  horse 
fed  and  go  to  his  office  to  make  out  a  few  notices  and  be 
ready  to  start  off  again  in  an  hour. 

"  The  roads  are  all  picketed,  and  if  they  get  him  to  the 
city  it  will  be  by  a  route  they  won't  want  to  take  them- 
selves," he  said  grimly,  as  he  turned  away. 

"  Suppose  he's  already  in  jail  somewhere  ?  "  asked  his 
friend. 

"We'll  take  him  out,"  said  Steve,  stopping  short. 
"  There  isn't  a  jail  in  this  commonwealth  that  will  hold 
him,  if  I  discover  where  he  is." 

"All  right,  we'll  be  with  you,  old  fellow,"  said  his 
friend,  his  good-humor  restored  ;  "  and  if  we  could  get  a 
pull  at  some  of  your  carpet-bag  friends  at  the  same  time 
so  much  the  better.  You  are  not  the  only  one  who  holds 
a  due-bill  of  McRaffle's,  and  has  a  score  against  Leech. 
He  arrested  my  father  and  kept  him  in  jail  a  week."  His 
voice  had  suddenly  grown  bitter. 

When  they  moved  off,  Ruth  rose  and  crept  hurriedly 
away,  stealing  along  by  the  fence  until  she  was  in  the 
shadow  of  the  offices.  She  knew  she  had  not  a  moment  to 
lose.  She  went  up  to  the  offices  and  scanned  the  doors. 
Fortunately,  by  even  the  faint  glimmer  of  the  stars  she 
could  make  out  the  big  names  on  the  signs.  She  tried  the 
door  on  which  was  the  name  of  "Allen  and  Gray,"  and, 


420  KED   HOCK 

finding  it  locked,  slipped  her  envelope  under  it  and  crept 
quickly  away. 

She  was  just  in  time,  for  she  heard  steps  behind  her  and 
caught  sight  of  a  tall  figure  striding  across  the  green 
toward  the  door  she  had  just  left.  She  found  and 
mounted  her  horse  and  rode  away,  keeping  well  in  the 
shadow  of  the  trees.  As  she  turned  into  the  road  at  a 
sharp  canter  she  almost  ran  over  an  old  negro  who  was 
walking  rapidly  toward  the  village.  It  was  so  close  that 
she  could  not  avoid  calling  out  to  him ;  but  she  was  not 
quite  in  time,  for  her  horse  touched  him  enough  to  topple 
him  over.  Kuth  pulled  in  instantly  and,  turning  around, 
went  back  to  the  man,  who  was  scrambling  to  his  feet 
grumbling  and  mumbling  to  himself  : 

"  Who  d'name  o'  King  dat  ridin'  over  me  ?  " 

Kuth  recognized  old  Waverley. 

"  Oh  !  Are  you  hurt,  uncle  ?  I  hope  not.  Fm  so 
sorry.  It  was  so  dark  I  couldn't  see  you/'  she  said,  solici- 
tously. The  tone  removed  the  old  man's  irritation  im- 
mediately. 

"  Yes'm — 'tis  mighty  dark,  sho  nough.  Nor'm,  I  am 
hut  none — jes  kind  o'  skeered,  dat's  all.  I  did'n  hut  yo? 
hoss,  did  I  ?  Ken  you  tell  me,  is  dee  done  heah  anything 
o'  my  young  marster  ?  I  jes  hurryin'  down  heah  to  git 
de  lates'  wud  'bout  him." 

Ruth  told  him  that  his  young  master  had  not  been  seen 
yet ;  but  that  he  would  certainly  be  found  within  the  next 
twenty-four  hours,  and  that  she  was  sure  he  would  be  dis- 
covered to  be  all  right. 

"  Well,  I  certney  is  glad  to  heah  you  say  dat,  mistis," 
said  the  old  fellow,  "'cause  my  mistis  is  almost  distracted, 
and  so  is  he  mammy  and  all  de  fam'ly.  I  done  walked 
down  heah  three  times  to-day  to  git  de  news,  an'  I  know  I 
ain'  gwine  shet  my  eyes  till  he  found.  Hits  all  de  wuck 
of  dat  Cun'l  Leech  an'  datdebble,  Hiram  Still,  an'  he  son. 
I  knows  'em,"  he  broke  out,  fiercely,  "and  I'll  git  at  de 
bottom  of  it  yit."  He  came  near  and  gazed  up  at  Ruth 


LEECH    AND    STILL   MAKE   A   MOVE  421 

with  a  look  of  such  keen  scrutiny,  that  to  get  away  from 
him  Kuth  made  her  horse  start.  "  I  shall  have  to  let  him 
go/'  she  said,  and  at  a  touch  of  her  heel  her  horse  bounded 
away. 

"  I  knows  your  hoss  and  I  knows  you  too,  now/'  said 
the  old  man,  looking  after  her  as  she  dashed  away  in  the 
darkness.  "  Well,  well ! "  and  he  went  on  into  the  village. 

When  Ruth  reached  home,  to  her  relief  she  found  that 
her  mother  had  not  yet  returned.  A  message  had  come 
that  Miss  Bush  was  ill  and  she  would  be  detained  until 
very  late,  but  would  certainly  be  back  by  bed- time. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

CAPTAIN"  ALLEN  FINDS  RUPERT  AND  BREAKS  THE  LAW 

WHEN  Steve  Allen  stepped  across  his  threshold  he 
caught  the  gleam  of  something  white  lying  on  the  floor 
just  inside  the  door-sill.  He  picked  up  the  slip  of  paper 
and,  striking  a  light,  looked  at  it.  The  writing  on  it  was 
in  a  cramped  backhand  that  Steve  did  not  know  and  could 
hardly  read.  At  last,  however,  he  made  it  out : 

"  Your  friend  is  in  jail  here  on  charge  of  murder.  Will 
be  taken  to  city  to-night  for  trial."  It  had  been  signed, 
"  A  Friend,"  but  this  had  been  much  scratched  over  and 
was  almost  illegible.  Steve  read  the  words  again  and 
again.  Suddenly  he  left  his  office  and  walked  quickly 
around  the  back  part  of  the  court-green,  looking  in  all  the 
corners  and  dark  places.  It  had  occurred  to  him  that  he 
had  heard  someone  retreating  as  he  approached  his  office. 
Everything,  however  was  quiet,  and  the  only  sound  he 
heard  was  that  of  a  horse  galloping  on  the  road  some  dis- 
tance away.  As  he  stood  still  to  listen  again  it  died  away. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  had  called  his  friend  Helf ord  into  his 
office  and  laid  before  him  his  information.  Helford  re- 
ceived it  coldly — thought  it  might  be  a  trick  to  throw 
them  off  the  track  and  obtain  delay.  He  argued  that  even 
if  it  would  have  been  possible  for  Rupert  Gray  to  be  put 
in  jail  right  under  their  noses,  he  could  not  have  been 
kept  there  all  day  without  its.being  discovered.  Steve  was 
of  a  different  opinion.  Perdue,  the  jailer,  was  a  creature 
of  Leech's  and  StilFs.  Something  assured  him  that  the 
information  was  true,  and  he  laid  his  plans  accord- 
ingly. The  men  who  were  at  the  county  seat  were  re- 
quested to  wait,  without  being  told  what  was  the  reason ; 

422 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  FINDS   RUPERT  423 

riders  were  sent  off  to  call  in  the  searchers  who  were  still 
engaged,  a  rendezvous  near  the  village  being  appointed. 
Steve,  leaving  the  men  present  tinder  charge  of  Helford, 
rode  off  as  if  to  continue  the  search  ;  but  a  short  distance 
down  the  road  he  turned,  and,  riding  back  by  another  way, 
tied  his  horse  and  returned  to  the  court-green.  He  en- 
tered at  the  rear,  walked  up  to  the  jail  and  rang  the  bell. 
After  some  delay  a  man  peeped  at  him  through  the  wicket 
and  asked  who  it  was.  Steve  gave  his  name,  and  said 
he  wanted  tc  see  the  prisoner  who  had  been  brought  in 
the  night  before.  The  man  hesitated  a  second,  then  said 
there  was  no  such  prisoner  there.  He  took  a  half  step 
backward  to  close  the  shutter,  but  Steve  was  too  quick 
for  him.  He  was  sure  from  the  jailer's  manner  that  he 
was  lying  to  him.  The  next  second  there  was  a  scraping 
sound  on  the  grating  and  the  man  found  a  pistol-barrel 
gleaming  at  him  through  the  bars,  right  under  his  nose. 

"Stir,  and  you  are  a  dead  man,"  said  Steve.  "  Open 
the  door." 

"  I  ain't  got  the  keys." 

"  Call  for  them.  Don't  stir  !  I'll  give  you  till  I  count 
five  :  one — two — three " 

"  Here  they  are,  sir."  The  pistol-barrel  was  shining 
right  in  his  face,  and  Steve's  eyes  were  piercing  him 
through  the  bars.  He  unlocked  the  door,  and  Steve 
stepped  in. 

"  Take  me  to  Mr.  Gray's  cell  instantly,  and  remember  a 
single  word  from  you  means  your  death."  Steve  expected 
to  be  taken  to  one  of  the  front  rooms  in  which  the  pris- 
oners of  better  condition  were  usually  kept ;  but  his  guide 
went  on,  and  at  length  stopped  at  the  door  of  one  of  the 
worst  cells  in  the  place,  where  the  most  abandoned  crimi- 
nals were  usually  confined.  Two  negro  prisoners,  in  an- 
other cell,  seeing  Captain  Allen,  howled  at  him  in  glee 
through  their  bars. 

e<  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you've  put  him  in  here  ?  " 
Steve  asked,  sternly. 


424  BED  EOCK 

"  That's  orders/' said  the  man,  and  added,  explanatorily, 
as  he  fumbled  at  the  lock.  "  You  see,  he  was  pretty  wild 
when  they  brought  him  here." 

"  Don't  defend  it/'  said  Steve,  in  a  voice  which  brought 
the  turnkey  up  shaking. 

"No,  suh — no,  suh — I  ain'  defendin'  it.  I  jest  tellin' 
you/'  He  unlocked  the  door. 

"Walk  in,"  said  Steve,  and,  pushing  the  other  ahead,  he 
stepped  in  behind  him  and  took  his  light.  It  was  so  dark 
that  he  could  not  at  first  make  out  anything  inside  ;  but 
after  a  moment  a  yet  darker  spot  in  the  general  gloom  be- 
came dimly  discernible. 

"  Eupert?  "  Steve  called.  At  the  voice  the  dark  shadow 
stirred.  "Rupert  Gray?" 

There  was  a  cry  from  the  dark  corner. 

"  Steve  !     Oh,  Steve  !  Steve  !  " 

"  Come  here,"  said  Steve,  who  was  keeping  close  beside 
the  jailer. 

"I  can't.     Oh,  Steve!" 

"  Why  not  ? — Over  there  ! "  he  said,  with  a  motion  to  the 
jailer,  to  walk  before  him. 

"  I'm  chained." 

"  What ! "  The  young  man  turned  and  caught  the 
jailer  by  the  shoulder,  and  with  a  single  twist  of  his  pow- 
erful arm  sent  him  before  him  spinning  into  the  corner  of 
the  room.  Stooping,  Steve  felt  the  boy  and  the  chain  by 
which  he  was  bound  to  a  great  ring  in  the  wall.  The 
next  second  he  faced  the  keeper. 

"Dog!" 

For  a  moment  the  man  thought  he  was  as  good  as  dead. 
Steve's  eyes  blazed  like  coals  of  fire,  and  he  looked  like 
a  lion  about  to  spring.  The  man  began  to  protest  his 
innocence,  swearing  with  a  hundred  oaths  that  he  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it ;  that  it  was  all  Leech's  doings — his 
orders  and  other  men's  work.  He  himself  had  tried  to 
prevent  it. 

Steve  cut  him  short. 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   FINDS   RUPERT  425 

"Liar,  save  yourself  the  trouble.  What  are  their 
names  ?  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"I  don't  know.  They've  gone,  I  don't  know  where. 
They  went  away  this  mornin'  before  light/' 

"  Get  the  key  and  unlock  that  chain." 

The  man  swore  that  he  did  not  have  it — the  men  had 
taken  it  with  them. 

Steve  reflected  a  moment.     He  had  no  time  to  lose. 

"Oh,  Steve  !  nevermind  me," broke  in  Eupert,  his  self- 
possession  recovered.  "  Go — I'm  not  worth  saving.  Oh, 
Steve  !  if  you  only  knew  !  I  have  done  you  an  irreparable 

injury.  I  don't  mind  myself,  but "  His  voice  failed 

him  and  his  words  ended  in  a  sob.  "  I'm  not  crying  be- 
cause I'm  here  or  am  afraid,"  he  said,  presently.  "But  if 
you  only  knew " 

Steve  Allen  leant  down  over  him  and,  throwing  his  arm 
around  him,  kissed  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  child. 

"  That's  all  right,"  he  said,  tenderly,  and  whispered 
something  which  made  the  boy  exclaim  : 

"Oh,  Steve!  Steve!"  The  next  moment  he  said,  sol- 
emnly, "I  promise  you  that  I  will  never  touch  another 
drop  of  liquor  again  as  long  as  I  live." 

"  Never  mind  about  that  now,"  said  Steve. 

''But  I  want  to  promise.  I  want  to  make  you  that 
promise.  It  would  help  me,  Steve.  I  have  never  broken 
my  word." 

"  Wait  until  you  are  free,"  said  Steve,  indulgently.  He 
turned  to  the  keeper,  who  still  stood  cowering  in  the  corner. 

"  Come — walk  before  me."  As  they  left  the  cell  he  said 
to  him  :  "  In  a  half-hour  two  hundred  men  will  be  here. 
These  doors  will  go  like  paper.  If  they  find  that  boy 
chained  and  you  are  here,  your  life  will  not  be  worth  a 
button.  Nothing  but  God  Almighty  could  save  you."  He 
left  him  at  the  front  door  and  went  out.  A  number  of  men 
were  already  assembling  about  the  jail.  It  transpired 
afterward  that  old  Waverley  had  seen  Steve  enter  the  jail, 
and,  fearing  that  he  might  not  get  out  again,  had  told 


426  RED   ROOK 

Andy  Stamper,  who  had  just  arrived.     As  Steve  came  ont 
of  the  door  Andy  stepped  up  to  him. 

"  We  were  going  in  after  you/'  he  said. 

Steve  took  him  aside  and  had  a  talk  with  him,  telling 
him  the  state  of  the  case  and  putting  him  in  charge  until 
his  return. 

"  If  Perdue  wants  to  come  out,  let  him  do  so,"  he  said,  as 
he  left  him.  As  he  walked  across  the  green  he  fell  in  with 
Waverley,  who  gave  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

"  I  sutney  is  glad  to  see  you.  I  was  mighty  feared  dee'd 
keep  you  in  dyah."  He  was  very  full  of  something  he 
wanted  to  tell  him.  Steve  did  not  have  time  to  listen  then, 
but  said  he  wanted  him,  and  took  him  along. 

"  Well,  jes'  tell  me  dis,  Marse  Steve  ;  is  you  foun'  my 
young  marster  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  have." 

"Well,  thank  Gord  for  dat  I"  exclaimed  old  Waverley. 
"Wharishe?" 

Steve  pointed  back  to  the  jail.     "  In  there." 

The  old  man  gave  an  outcry. 

'•"  In  dyah  !  My  young  marster  ?  My  marster  and  mistis' 
son  !  Go  way,  Marse  Steve — you  jokin' ;  don't  fool  me 
'bout  dat." 

"  He's  in  there,  and  in  chains  ;  and  I  want  you  to  cut 
them  off  him,"  said  Steve. 

The  old  man  broke  out  into  a  tirade.     He  ended  : 

"  Dat  I  will  !  De's  a  blacksmiff  shop  yonder.  I'll  git  a 
hammer  and  cole  chisel  d'rectly."  He  started  off.  When 
he  arrived,  the  shop  had  already  been  levied  on  for  sledges 
and  other  implements. 

The  crowd  was  beginning  to  be  excited.  Steve  took 
charge  at  once.  He  spoke  a  few  words  in  a  calm,  level, 
assured  tone ;  stated  the  fact  of  Eupert  Gray's  arrest  by 
Leech's  order,  not  for  his  own  offence,  but  more  for  that 
of  others,  of  his  imprisonment  in  irons  in  the  jail,  and  of 
his  own  intention  to  take  him  out.  And  he  declared  his 
belief  that  it  was  the  desire  of  those  assembled,  that  he 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   FINDS   KTJPERT  427 

should  command  them,  and  expressed  his  readiness  to 
do  so. 

The  response  they  gave  showed  their  assent. 

Then  they  must  obey  his  orders. 

They  would,  they  said. 

"The  first  is — absolute  silence/' 

"  Yes,  that's  right,"  came  from  all  sides. 

"  The  second  is,  that  we  will  release  our  friend,  but  take 
no  other  step — commit  no  other  violence  than  that  of 
breaking  the  doors  and  taking  him  out." 

"  Oh,  h — 1  !  We'll  hang  every  d d  nigger  and  dog 

in  the  place,"  broke  in  a  voice  near  him.  Steve  wheeled 
around  and  faced  the  speaker.  He  was  a  man  named 
Bushman,  a  turbulent  fellow.  As  quick  as  thought  the 
pistol  that  had  been  shining  under  Perdue's  nose  a  little 
before  was  gleaming  before  this  man's  eyes. 

<e  Step  out  and  go  home  ! "    Steve  pointed  up  the  road. 

The  man  began  to  growl. 

"  Go,"  said  Steve,  imperiously,  and  the  crowd  applauded. 

"That's  right,  send  him  off."  They  opened  a  path 
through  which  the  ruffian  slunk,  growling,  away. 

"Now,  men,  fall  in." 

They  fell  in  like  soldiers,  and  Steve  marched  them  off  to 
the  spot  he  had  appointed  as  the  place  for  others  to  join 
them. 

The  rendezvous  was  in  a  pine  forest  a  little  off  the  road, 
and  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so  back  of  the  village. 
Near  the  road  the  pines  were  thick,  having  sprung  up 
since  the  war  ;  but  here,  in  a  space  of  some  hundreds  of 
yards  each  way,  the  trees,  the  remnants  of  a  former  growth, 
were  larger  and  less  crowded,  leaving  the  ground  open  and 
covered  with  a  thick  matting  of  "tags,"  on  which  the 
feet  fell  as  noiselessly  as  on  a  thick  carpet,  and  where  even 
the  tramp  of  horses  made  hardly  a  sound.  It  was  an 
impressive  body  assembled  there  in  the  darkness,  silent 
and  grim,  the  stillness  broken  only  by  the  muffled  stamp- 
ing and  tramping  of  a  restless  horse,  by  an  almost  inau- 


428  BED  ROCK 

dible  mnrmnr,  or  an  order  given  in  a  low,  qniet  tone. 
By  a  sort  of  soldierly  mstinct  the  line  had  fallen  into  al- 
most regimental  form,  and,  from  time  to  time,  as  new 
recruits  came  up,  directed  by  the  pickets  on  the  roads  out- 
side,  they,  too,  fell  into  order. 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  move,  a  horseman  galloped 
np,  and  a  murmur  went  through  the  ranks. 

"Dr.  Gary  I" 

Whether  it  was  surprise,  pleasure,  or  regret,  one  at  first 
could  scarcely  have  told. 

"  Where  is  Captain  Allen  ? "  asked  the  Doctor,  and 
pushed  his  way  to  the  head  of  the  line.  A  colloquy  took 
place  between  him  and  Steve  in  subdued  but  earnest  tones, 
the  Doctor  urging  something,  Steve  replying,  while  the 
men  waited,  interested,  but  patient.  The  older  man  was 
evidently  protesting,  the  other  defending.  At  length  Dr. 
Gary  said  : 

"  Well,  let  me  speak  a  word  to  them." 

"  Certainly,"  assented  Steve,  and  turned  to  the  men. 

"Dr.  Gary  disagrees  with  us  as  to  the  propriety  of 
the  step  we  are  about  to  take  and  urges  its  abandonment. 
He  desires  to  present  his  views.  You  will  hear  him  with 
the  respect  due  to  the  best  and  wisest  among  ns."  He 
drew  back  his  horse,  and  the  Doctor  rode  forward  and  be- 
gan to  speak. 

"  First,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  I  am  with  you,  heart 
and  soul — for  better,  for  worse  ;  flesh  of  your  flesh,  and 
bone  of  your  bone.  Next  to  my  God  and  my  wife  and 
child,  I  love  my  relatives  and  neighbors.  Of  all  my  rela- 
tives, perhaps,  I  love  best  that  boy  lying  in  yonder  jail, 
and  I  would  give  my  life  to  save  him.  But  I  could  not 
kneel  to  my  God  to-night  if  I  did  not  declare  to  you  my 
belief — my  profound  conviction — that  this  is  not  the  way 
to  go  about  it.  I  know  that  the  wrongs  we  are  suf- 
fering cry  to  God,  but  I  urge  you  to  unite  with  me  in 
trying  to  remedy  them  by  law,  and  not  by  violence.  Let  us 
unite  and  make  an  appeal  to  the  enlightened  sense  of  the 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   FINDS   RUPERT  429 

American  people,  of  the  world,  which  they  will  be  forced  to 
hear.  Violence  on  our  side  is  the  only  ground  which  they 
can  urge  for  their  justification.  It  is  a  terrible  weapon  we 
are  furnishing  them,  and  with  it,  not  only  can  they  defeat 
us  now,  but  they  can  injure  us  for  years  to  come." 

He  went  on  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  urging  his  views 
with  impressive  force.  Never  was  a  stronger  appeal  made. 
But  it  fell  on  stony  ears.  The  crowd  was  touched  by 
him,  but  remained  unchanged.  It  had  resolved,  and  its 
decision  was  unaltered.  When  he  ended,  there  was,  for  a 
moment,  a  low  murmur  all  through  the  ranks,  which  died 
down,  and  they  looked  to  their  captain.  Steve  did  not 
hesitate.  In  a  firm,  calm  voice  he  said  : 

"  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  almost,  I  find  myself  un- 
able to  agree  in  a  matter  of  principle  with  the  man  you 
have  just  heard.  At  the  same  time,  this  may  be  only  my 
personal  feeling,  and,  recognizing  the  force  of  what  he  has 
said,  I  wish  all  who  may  think  as  he  does  to  fall  out  of  line. 
The  rest  will  remain  as  they  are.  If  all  shall  leave,  feel- 
ing as  I  do  I  shall  still  undertake  to  rescue  Rupert  Gray. 
Those  who  disagree  with  me  will  ride  forward." 

There  was  a  rustle  and  movement  all  down  the  ranks, 
but  not  a  man  stirred  from  his  place.  As  the  men  looked 
along  the  line  and  took  in  the  fact,  there  went  up  a  low, 
suppressed  sound  of  gratification  and  exultation. 

"  Silence,  men,"  said  the  captain.  He  turned  his  horse 
to  face  Dr.  Gary. 

"  Dr.  Gary,  I  beg  you  to  believe  that  we  all  recognize 
the  wisdom  of  your  views  and  their  unselfishness,  and  we 
promise  you  that  no  violence  shall  be  offered  a  soul  beyond 
forcing  the  doors  and  liberating  the  boy." 

A  murmur  of  assent  came  from  the  ranks.  Dr.  Gary 
bowed. 

"  I  shall  wait  at  the  tavern,"  he  said,  "  to  see  if  my  ser- 
vices may  be  of  any  use." 

Steve  detailed  two  men  to  conduct  him  through  the 
guards,  and  he  rode  slowly  away. 


430  RED   ROCK 

A  few  minutes  later  Captain  Allen  gave  the  order,  and, 
wheeling,  the  column  marched  off  through  the  dusk. 

Steve  had  made  the  men  disguise  themselves  by  tying 
strips  of  cotton  across  their  faces.  He  himself  wore  no 
mask.  When  he  arrived  at  the  jail  he  learned  from  Andy 
Stamper  that  Perdue  had  taken  advantage  of  the  hint 
given  him  and  had  escaped. 

"  I  had  hard  work  at  first  to  git  him  out,"  said  Andy. 
"  I  had  to  go  up  to  the  door  and  talk  to  him  ;  but  when  he 
found  what  was  comin',  he  was  glad  enough  to  go.  I  let 
him  slip  by,  and  last  I  seen  of  him,  he  was  cuttin'  for  the 
woods  like  a  fox  with  the  pack  right  on  him.  If  he  kept 
up  that  lick  he's  about  ten  miles  off  by  this  time." 

The  breaking  into  the  jail  was  not  a  difficult  matter. 
It  meant  only  a  few  minutes'  work  bursting  open  the  outer 
door  with  a  heavy  sledge-hammer,  and  a  little  more  in 
battering  down  the  iron  inner  doors.  During  the  whole 
time  the  crowd  without  was  as  quiet  as  the  grave,  the 
silence  broken  only  by  the  orders  given  and  the  ringing 
blows  of  the  iron  hammers.  But  it  was  very  different  in- 
side. The  two  or  three  negroes  confined  within  were  wild 
with  terror.  They  all  thought  that  the  mob  was  after 
them,  and  that  their  last  hour  was  come  ;  and  they  who  an 
hour  before  had  hooted  at  the  visitor,  yelled  and  prayed 
and  besought  mercy  in  agonies  of  abject  terror.  When 
the  squad  detailed  by  Steve  passed  on  to  the  cell  in  which 
Rupert  was  confined  and  began  to  break  down  the  door, 
these  creatures  quieted  a  little,  but  even  then  they  prayed 
earnestly,  their  faces,  ashy  with  fear  in  the  glare  of  the 
torches,  pressed  to  the  bars  and  their  eyeballs  almost  start- 
ing from  their  sockets.  When  the  door  gave  way  the  low 
cry  that  came  up  from  the  party  sent  them  flying  and 
trembling  back  into  the  darkness  of  their  cells. 

It  took  a  considerable  time  to  cut  the  irons  that  bound 
the  prisoner,  who,  under  the  excitement  of  the  rescuing 
party's  entrance,  had  been  overjoyed,  but  a  moment  later 
had  keeled  over  into  Andy  Stamper's  arms.  Under  the 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   FINDS   RUPERT  431 

steady  blows  of  the  old  blacksmith's  hammer,  even  that  was 
at  length  accomplished,  and  the  rescuers  moved  out  bear- 
ing Rupert  with  them.  As  they  emerged  from  the  build- 
ing with  the  boy  in  their  arms,  the  long-pent-up  feeling  of 
the  crowd  outside  burst  forth  in  one  wild  cheer,  which 
rang  through  the  village  and  was  heard  miles  away  on  the 
roads.  It  was  quickly  hushed  ;  the  crowd  withdrew  into 
the  woods,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  jail  was  left  in  the 
darkness  as  silent  as  the  desert. 

The  news  of  the  assault  on  the  jail  and  the  liberation  of 
the  prisoner  thrilled  through  the  County  next  morning, 
and  the  thrill  extended  far  beyond  the  confines  of  the  sec- 
tion immediately  interested.  The  party  of  detectives  who 
were  waiting  to  take  their  prisoner  to  the  city  made  their 
way  by  night  through  the  country  to  a  distant  station,  to 
take  the  cars  ;  and  Leech  and  McRaffle,  who  had  come  on 
the  morning  train  to  meet  them,  deemed  it  prudent  to 
catch  it  on  its  way  back  and  return  to  the  city. 

Ruth,  the  morning  after  her  visit  to  the  court-house  and 
the  rescue  of  Rupert,  was  in  a  state  of  great  unrest. 
Finally  she  mounted  her  horse  and  paid  a  visit  to  Blair 
Gary.  They  were  all  in  intense  excitement.  Ruth  her- 
self was  sensible  of  constraint ;  but  she  had  an  object  in 
view  which  made  it  necessary  to  overcome  it.  So  she 
chatted  on  easily,  almost  gayly.  At  length  she  made  an 
excuse  to  get  Blair  off  by  herself.  In  the  seclusion  of 
Blair's  room  the  secret  came  out.  Ruth,  on  her  part, 
learned  that  Rupert  was  to  be  sent  off  ;  Blair  did  not  know 
where.  One  difficulty  was  the  want  of  means  to  send 
him.  This  Ruth  had  divined.  With  a  burning  face,  she 
told  Blair  she  had  a  great  favor  to  ask  of  her  ;  and  when 
Blair  wonderingly  assented,  she  took  from  her  pocket  a  roll 
of  money — what  seemed  to  Blair  an  almost  vast  amount. 
It  was  her  own,  she  said ;  and  the  favor  was  :  that  Blair 
would  help  her  to  get  that  money  to  Rupert  without  any- 
one knowing  where  it  came  from.  She  wanted  Rupert  to 
go  out  to  the  West  and  join  Reely  Thurston  there.  Blair 


432  RED   ROCK 

demurred  at  this.  Captain  Thnrston  was  an  army  of- 
ficer, and  Rupert  was .  She  paused.  Kuth  flushed. 

She  would  be  guaranty  that  Thurston  would  stand  his 
friend. 

There  was  also  another  thing  which  Blair  discovered, 
though  she  did  not  tell  Ruth  that  she  had  done  so.  She 
simply  rose  and  kissed  her.  This  discovery  decided  her  to 
accept  Ruth's  offer.  It  seemed  to  draw  Ruth  nearer  to 
her  and  to  make  her  one  with  themselves.  So  she  told 
Ruth  where  Rupert  was.  He  was  at  that  time  at  the 
house  of  Steve's  old  mammy,  Peggy.  He  was  to  be  con- 
ducted out  of  the  County  that  night.  Whether  he  could 
be  persuaded  to  go  to  Captain  Thurston,  Blair  did  not 
know ;  but  she  promised  to  aid  Ruth  so  far  as  to  suggest 
it,  and  try  to  persuade  him  to  do  so.  There  were  two 
difficulties.  One  was  that  she  might  be  watched,  and  it 
might  lead  to  Rupert's  re-arrest.  She  did  not  state  what 
the  other  was.  But  Ruth  knew.  She,  too,  could  divine 
things  without  their  being  explained.  If,  however,  Blair 
could  not  meet  Jacquelin  Gray,  there  was  no  reason 
why  Ruth  herself  could  not.  And  she  determined  to 
go.  Suddenly  Blair  changed.  She,  too,  would  go.  She 
could  not  let  Ruth  go  alone. 

That  evening,  toward  dusk,  old  Peggy  was  "  turning 
about "  in  her  little  yard,  when  the  sound  of  horses'  feet 
caught  her  ear.  As  quick  as  thought  the  old  woman  ran 
to  her  door  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  some  one  inside,  and 
the  next  moment  the  back  door  opened  and  a  figure 
sprang  across  the  small  cleared  space  that  divided  the 
cabin  from  the  woods,  and  disappeared  among  the  trees. 
In  a  little  while  the  riders  appeared  in  sight,  and  when 
the  old  negress  turned,  to  her  surprise,  they  were  two 
ladies.  When  they  took  off  their  veils,  to  old  Peggy's 
still  greater  astonishment,  they  were  Miss  Blair  and  the 
young  lady  who  had  visited  her  with  her  young  master 
the  evening  of  the  rain-storm. 

The  old  woman  greeted  them  pleasantly,  but  when  they 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   FINDS   RUPERT  433 

said  they  wanted  to  see  Rupert  Gray,  her  suspicions  re- 
turned again. 

"  He  ain't  heah,"  she  said,  shortly.  "  What  you  want 
wid  him  ?  "  Her  eyes  gleamed  with  shrewdness. 

"  We  want  to  see  him." 

"  Well,  you  won'  see  him  heah." 

They  began  to  cajole. 

"  Can't  you  trust  me  ?  "  asked  Blair. 

But  old  Peggy  was  firm. 

"  I  don'  trus'  nobody.  I  ain'  got  nothin'  't  all  to  do 
wid  it.  Why  n't  you  go  ax  Marse  Steve  ? "  she  asked 
Ruth,  suddenly.  Ruth's  face  flushed. 

The  dilemma  was  unexpectedly  relieved  by  the  appear- 
ance of  Rupert  himself.  From  his  covert  he  had  recog- 
nized the  visitors,  and  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to 
join  them.  Old  Peggy  was  in  a  great  state  of  excitement 
at  his  appearance.  She  began  to  scold  him  soundly  for 
his  imprudence.  But  the  boy  only  laughed  at  her. 

Blair  and  Ruth  took  him  aside  and  began  to  broach  the 
object  of  their  visit.  At  first  he  was  obstinate.  He  would 
not  hear  of  the  plan  they  proposed.  In  fact,  he  was  not 
going  away  at  all,  he  declared.  He  would  not  be  run 
out  of  the  County.  He  would  stay  and  fight  it  out,  and 
let  them  try  him,  if  they  wished  to  get  all  they  wanted. 
He  showed  the  butt  of  a  pistol,  with  boyish  pride. 

In  this  state  of  the  case,  Ruth  began  to  plead  with  him 
on  his  brother's  account,  and  Blair,  as  her  argument,  took 
Steve.  They  said  he  was  bound  in  honor  to  go,  if  they 
wished  it.  Ruth  deftly  put  in  a  word  about  Thurston, 
and  the  opportunity  the  trip  would  give  Rupert  to  see  the 
world.  He  could  join  in  the  campaigns  against  the  In- 
dians out  there,  if  he  wished  ;  and,  finally,  she  begged  him 
to  go  and  join  Thurston,  as  a  favor  to  her. 

These  arguments  at  length  prevailed,  and  Rupert  said 
he  would  go. 

As  his  friends  were  soon  to  come  for  him,  the  girls  had 
to  leave,  which  they  did  after  binding  old  Peggy  over 
28 


434  BED   ROCK 

with  many  solemn  promises  not  to  breathe  to  a  single  soul 
a  word  of  their  visit.  "  If  she  does,"  said  Rupert,  "Til 
come  back  here  and  make  her  think  the  Ku  Klux  are 
after  her."  The  old  woman  laughed  at  the  threat. 

"  Go  'way  from  heah,  boy  !  What  you  know  'bout  Ku 
Klux  ?  You  done  told  too  much  'bout  'em  now." 

This  home-thrust  shut  Rupert  up.  Blair  put  into  his 
hand  the  package  that  Ruth  had  given  her  and  kissed  him 
good-by,  and  he  turned  to  Ruth. 

Ruth  said,  as  she  took  his  hand,  ' '  Rupert,  I  am  going  to 
ask  you  to  grant  me  that  favor  you  once  promised  me  you 
would  grant." 

The  boy's  eyes  lit  up. 

"  I  will  do  it." 

"I  want  you  to  promise  me  yon  will  not  drink  any 
more." 

"  I  promise,"  he  said,  softly,  and  bent  over  and  kissed 
her  hand.  As  he  stood  up,  the  girl  leant  forward  and 
kissed  him.  He  turned  to  Blair  and,  throwing  his  arms 
around  her  neck,  suddenly  burst  into  tears. 

"  Oh,  Blair,  Blair,"  he  sobbed,  "  I  can't  go." 

The  girls  soothed  him,  and  when  they  left  a  little  later 
he  was  calm  and  firm. 

Within  a  little  time  other  detectives  came,  and  some 
who  were  not  known  as  detectives  performed  the  functions 
of  that  office.  But  no  trace  of  the  rescued  boy  was  found. 
The  nearest  approach  to  a  clew  was  a  report  that  Andy 
Stamper  and  old  Waverley,  a  short  time  after  the  breaking 
into  the  jail,  took  a  long  journey  with  Andy's  covered 
wagon  into  another  State,  "  selling  things,"  and  that  Steve 
Allen  and  several  other  men  were  about  the  same  time  in 
the  same  region,  and  even  rode  with  the  wagon  for  some 
days. 

However,  this  was  not  traced  up.  And  it  illustrates  the 
times,  that  two  accounts  of  the  affair  of  the  rescue  were 
published  and  given  circulation  :  one  that  the  prisoner 
was  rescued  by  his  friends,  the  other  that  he  was  taken 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   FINDS   RUPERT  435 

from  the  jail  by  a  band  of  Ku  Klux  outlaws  and  murdered, 
because  he  had  confessed  to  having  taken  part  in  some  of 
their  outrages  and  had  given  information  as  to  his  accom- 
plices. This  was  the  story  that  was  most  widely  circulatec1 
in  some  parts  of  the  country  and  was  finally  accepted. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

MR.    STILL  OFFERS  A   COMPROMISE,    AND  A  BLUFF 

THE  term  approached  at  which  the  Red  Rock  suit  was 
to  be  tried,  and  both  parties  made  preparations  for  it.  A 
number  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  Bar  had  volun- 
teered as  Jacquelin's  counsel.  They  knew  the  character  of 
the  new  judge,  Bail,  and  they  considered  Jacquelin's  cause 
that  of  every  man  in  the  State.  Leech,  on  his  side,  had  as- 
sociated with  him  as  counsel  for  Still  several  lawyers  of  well- 
known  ability,  if  of  less  recognized  integrity ;  and  Major 
Welch  had  retained  old  Mr.  Bagby  to  represent  his  in- 
terest. As  the  term  drew  near,  Still  applied  to  Mr.  Bagby 
to  represent  him  too.  The  old  lawyer  declined.  The  in- 
terest of  his  client,  Major  Welch,  might  in  some  way  con- 
flict, though  he  could  not  see  how  ;  in  away  he  already  rep- 
resented Still,  since  to  protect  his  client  he  had  to  look 
after  Still's  title  also.  "  Besides,  Still  already  had  lawyers 
enough  to  ruin  his  case,"  he  said,  "  and  he  would  charge 
him  a  big  fee."  But  these  reasons  were  not  sufficient  for 
Still.  He  wished  Mr.  Bagby  to  represent  him.  He  told 
him  Leech  had  employed  those  others  ;  but  he  wanted  a 
man  he  knew.  "  There  wasn't  a  man  in  the  State  could 
carry  a  jury  like  Mr.  Bagby,  and  he  did  not  mind  the  fee." 

Flattery  is  a  key  that  fits  many  locks.  So  the  old  law- 
yer consented,  after  consulting  Major  Welch,  and  notifying 
Still  that  if  at  any  time  or  at  any  point  in  the  case  he 
found  his  interest  conflicting  with  Major  Welch's  he  would 
give  him  up.  Still  grew  more  anxious  and  sought  so  many 
interviews  with  the  old  counsellor  that  finally  his  patience 
wore  out,  and  he  gave  his  new  client  to  understand  that 

436 


MR.   STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  437 

he  had  other  business,  and  if  he  wanted  so  much  of  his 
time  he  must  increase  his  fees.  Still  consented  even  to 
this,  with  the  effect  of  arousing  suspicion  on  the  old  law- 
yer's part  that  there  must  be  something  in  his  client's  case 
which  he  did  not  understand.  "  Something  in  it  he  has 
not  let  out/'  reflected  the  old  lawyer.  "I  must  get  at 
it." 

Not  very  long  after  this  arrangement,  Still  asked  Mr. 
Bagby  to  come  and  see  him  at  his  home  on  business  of 
great  importance,  alleging  as  a  reason  for  his  not  going  to 
see  Mr.  Bagby  that  he  was  too  unwell  to  travel.  The  note 
for  some  reason  offended  Mr.  Bagby.  However,  as  he  had 
to  go  to  Major  Welch's  that  night,  he  rode  by  Red  Eock 
to  see  Still.  He  found  him  in  a  state  of  great  anxiety 
and  nervousness.  Still  went  over  the  same  ground  that 
he  had  been  over  with  him  already  several  times  ;  wanted 
to  know  what  he  thought  of  the  bill,  and  of  the  Grays' 
chances  of  success.  The  old  lawyer  frowned.  Up  to  the 
time  of  beginning  a  suit  he  was  ready  to  be  doubtful, 
prudent,  cautious,  even  anxious,  in  advising;  but  the  fight 
once  begun  he  was  in  it  to  the  end ;  doubt  disappeared  ; 
defeat  was  not  among  the  possibilities.  It  was  an  intel- 
lectual contest  and  he  rejoiced  in  it ;  put  into  it  every 
nerve  and  every  power  he  possessed,  and  was  ready  to 
trample  down  every  adversary  from  the  sheriff  who  served 
the  writ,  to  the  Supreme  Court  itself.  So  now,  when 
Still,  almost  at  the  entrance  of  the  term,  was  whimpering 
as  to  his  chances,  the  old  lawyer  answered  him  with  scant 
courtesy. 

"  The  bill  ?  I  think  the  same  of  it  I  thought  when  you 
asked  me  before  ;  that  it  is  a  good  bill  in  certain  respects 
and  a  poor  one  in  others  ; — good  as  to  your  accounts  show- 
ing rents  and  profits,  and  too  general  as  to  the  bonds.  It's 
a  good  thing  you  got  hold  of  so  much  of  Gray's  paper.  I 
knew  he  was  a  free  liver  and  a  careless  man ;  but  I  had 
no  idea  he  owed  so  much  money."  He  was  speaking  rather 
to  himself. 


438  BED   BOOK 

"What  do  you  mean  ?"  faltered  Still,  his  face  flushing 
and  then  growing  pale. 

"That  if  they  can  prove  what  they  allege  about  the 
crops  in  the  years  just  before  and  after  the  war,  they'll 
sweep  you  for  rents  and  profits,  and  you'll  need  the  bonds." 
He  reflected  for  a  minute,  then  looked  at  Still. 

"  Mr.  Still,  tell  me  exactly  how  you  came  by  that  big 
bond."  He  shut  his  eyes  to  listen,  so  did  not  see  the 
change  that  came  over  his  client's  face. 

"  What'd  you  think  of  a  compromise  ?  "  asked  Still,  sud- 
denly. 

"  Have  they  offered  one  ?  " 

"  Well,  not  exactly,"  said  Still,  who  was  lying  ;  "  but  I 
know  they'd  like  to  make  one.  What'd  you  think  of  our 
kind  of  broaching  the  subject  ?  " 

"  What !  You  ?  After  that  bill  aspersing  your  charac- 
ter!" He  looked  at  Still  keenly.  "Do  as  you  please! 
But  Major  Welch  will  offer  no  compromise."  He  rose  and 
walked  off  from  Still  for  a  moment,  formulating  in  his 
mind  some  sentence  that  would  relieve  him  from  his  re- 
lation of  counsel  to  him.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had 
been  in  the  house  since  Still's  occupancy ;  and  as  he  paced 
across  the  hall,  the  pictures  lining  the  walls  arrested  his 
attention,  and  he  began  to  examine  them.  He  stopped 
in  front  of  the  "Indian-killer,"  and  gazed  at  it  atten- 
tively. 

"  Astonishingly  like  him  !"  he  muttered,  musingly  ;  and 
then  after  another  look  he  asked,  "  Do  you  know  whether 
there  really  was  a  cabinet  behind  that  picture  or  not  ?  " 
Still  did  not  answer,  but  his  face  turned  a  sudden  white. 
The  old  lawyer  had  his  back  to  him.  He  stepped  up 
nearer  the  picture  and  began  to  examine  the  frame  more 
closely.  "I  believe  there  is,"  he  said,  musingly.  "Yes, 
that  red  paint  goes  under."  He  took  out  a  large  pocket- 
knife.  "  Those  nails  are  loose.  I  believe  I'll  see.  " 
He  inserted  the  blade  of  his  knife  and  began  to  prize  at 
the  frame. 


MR.   STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  439 

"  My  G— d  !  don't  do  that !  "  exclaimed  Still ;  and,  giv- 
ing a  bound,  he  seized  the  old  lawyer's  arm. 

The  latter  turned  on  him  in  blank  amazement.  Still's 
face  was  as  white  as  death. 

"  What  in  the  d — 1  is  the  matter  with  you  ?"  demanded 
Mr.  Bagby. 

"Don't  !  for  God's  sake!"  stammered  Still,  and  stag- 
gered into  a  chair,  the  perspiration  standing  out  on  his 
forehead. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you,  man  ?  "  Mr.  Bagby  poured 
out  a  glass  of  whiskey  from  a  decanter  on  the  table  and 
gave  it  to  him.  The  liquor  revived  him,  and  in  a  moment 
he  began  to  talk. 

It  was  nothing,  he  said,  with  a  ghastly  attempt  at  a 
smile.  He  had  of  late  been  having  a  sort  of  spells  ;  had 
not  been  sleeping  well — his  son  was  giving  him  some  physic 
for  it ;  'twas  a  sort  of  nervousness,  and  he  supposed  he  just 
had  one,  and  couldn't  help  thinking  of  that  story  of  the 
picture  coming  down  always  meaning  bad  luck,  and  the 
story  of  the  old  fellow  being  seen  on  horseback  at  night. 
Some  of  the  niggers  had  been  saying  that  he  had  been  seen 
at  night  once  or  twice  lately  riding  around,  and  he  sup- 
posed that  had  got  in  his  mind.  But  of  course  he  didn't 
believe  any  such  lies  as  that. 

"  I  hope  not,"  sniffed  the  old  lawyer.  He  rose  and  took 
up  his  hat  and  saddlebags.  Still  urged  him  to  stay ;  he 
had  had  his  horse  put  in  the  stable  and  fed ;  but  Mr. 
Bagby  said  he  must  go,  he  wished  to  see  Major  Welch.  He 
had  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  not  remain  in  the  case 
as  Still's  counsel.  He  could  not  get  over  the  feeling  that 
there  was  something  in  Still's  case  which  Still  had  not 
confided  to  him,  or  the  idea  of  his  wishing  to  compromise 
after  a  charge  of  fraud  ;  and  the  rough  way  in  which  Still 
had  seized  his  arm  and  had  spoken  to  him  had  offended 
him.  So  he  would  not  be  his  guest.  He  told  Still  that 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  act  further  as  his  counsel,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  other  counsel.  Again  Still's  face  blanched. 


440  RED   ROCK 

He  offered  to  throw  them  all  over — except  Leech.  He  was 
obliged  to  keep  Leech ;  but  the  others  he  would  let  go. 
This,  however,  Mr.  Bagby  would  not  hear  of. 

As  it  was  late,  and  the  servants  had  retired,  Still  walked 
with  Mr.  Bagby  to  the  stable  to  get  his  horse.  He  con- 
tinued to  urge  him  to  remain  in  the  suit  as  his  counsel. 
But  the  old  lawyer  was  firm. 

As  they  approached  the  stables  there  came  to  them  from 
the  field  over  beyond  the  gardens  and  toward  Major  Welch's 
the  distant  neigh  of  a  horse.  Still  clutched  Mr.  Bagby 's 
arm. 

"  My  G— d  !  did  you  hear  that  ?  " 

"  What  ?  Yes — one  of  your  horses  over  in  your  past- 
ure ?" 

"  No,  there  ain't  no  horses  over  in  that  field,  or  in  a  field 
between  here  and  Stamper's  house.  It's  all  in  crop.  That's 
over  toward  the  graveyard." 

"  Oh  !  the  d 1  !  "  the  old  man  exclaimed,  impatiently. 

But  Still  seized  him. 

"  Look  !  Look  yonder  ! "  he  gasped.  The  lawyer 
looked,  and  at  the  moment  the  outline  of  a  man  on  horse- 
back was  clearly  defined  against  the  skyline  on  the  crest  of 
a  hill.  How  far  away  it  was  he  could  not  tell ;  but  appar- 
ently it  was  just  behind  the  dark  clump  of  trees  where  lay 
the  old  Gray  burying-ground.  The  next  second  the  moon 
was  shrouded  and  the  horseman  faded  out. 

When  Mr.  Bagby  reached  Major  Welch's,  the  latter  came 
out  to  meet  him  :  he  had  sat  up  for  him. 

"I  thought  you  had  come  a  half-hour  ago.  I  fancied  I 
heard  your  horse  neigh,"  he  said. 

As  he  went  to  call  a  servant,  he  picked  up  from  a  small 
side-porch  a  parcel  wrapped  around  with  paper.  He  took 
it  in  to  the  light.  It  was  a  large  bunch  of  jonquils,  ad- 
dressed to  "Ruth. 

"  Ah  ! "  thought  the  old  lawyer,  with  a  chuckle,  "  that 
is  what  our  ghostly  horseman  was  doing." 

The  next  morning,  when  Major  Welch  and  his  guest 


ME.   STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  441 

came  to  breakfast,  the  table  was  already  decorated  with 
jonquils,  which  were  lighting  it  up  with  their  golden 
glow ;  and  one  or  two  of  them  were  pinned  on  Miss  Ruth's 
dainty  white  dress. 

Both  Major  Welch  and  the  guest  remarked  on  the 
beauty  of  the  flowers,  and  the  Major  mentioned  his  sur- 
prise that  Ruth  should  have  left  them  out  on  the  porch 
overnight.  The  remark  was  quite  casual,  and  the  Major 
was  not  looking  at  Ruth  at  the  moment ;  but  the  old  lawyer 
was  looking,  and  his  eyes  twinkled  as  he  noticed  the  deep 
color  that  rushed  up  into  the  girl's  cheeks.  No  age  is  too 
great  to  be  stirred  by  the  sight  of  a  romance,  and  the  old 
fellow's  countenance  softened  as  he  looked  at  the  young 
girl. 

' ( Lucky  dog,"  he  thought,  "  that  night  rider  !  I  won- 
der who  he  is  ?  I'd  give  my  fee  in  this  case  to  be  able  to 
call  up  that  blush.  I  remember  doing  that  same  thing 
once — forty  odd  years  ago.  The  flowers  faded,  and  the 
girl — My  dear,  will  you  give  me  one  of  those  jonquils  ?  " 
he  broke  off,  suddenly,  addressing  Ruth.  Ruth,  with  a 
smile,  pinned  it  on  him,  and  the  old  man  wore  it  with  as 
proud  a  mien  as  he  had  ever  had  after  a  successful  verdict." 

The  apparition  was  too  much  for  Hiram  Still.  A  few 
days  after  his  interview  with  Mr.  Bagby,  Still,  without 
consulting  any  of  his  counsel,  took  the  step  on  his  own  ac- 
count which  he  had  suggested  to  the  lawyer.  If  it  went 
through,  he  could  put  it  on  the  ground  of  friendship  for 
Jacquelin's  father.  He  selected  his  opportunity. 

Steve  Allen  was  away  that  day  and  Jacquelin  Gray  was 
sitting  in  his  office  alone,  when  there  was  a  heavy,  slow 
step  outside  and,  after  a  moment's  interval,  a  knock  at  the 
door.  "  Come  in,"  Jacquelin  called  ;  and  the  door  opened 
slowly  and  Hiram  Still  walked  half-way  in  and  stopped 
doubtfully.  He  was  pale,  and  a  simper  was  on  his  face. 
Jacquelin  did  not  stir.  His  face  flushed  slightly. 

"  Grood-mornin',  Mr.  Jacquelin,"  said  the  visitor,  in  his 
most  insinuating  tone. 


442  RED   ROCK 

"  What  do  yon  want  ?  "  Jacquelin  asked,  coldly. 

"  Mr.  Jacquelin,  I  thought  I'd  come  and  see  you  when 
you  was  by  yourself  like,  and  see  if  me  and  you  couldn't 
come  to  a  understandin'  about  our  suit." 

Jacquelin  was  so  taken  by  surprise  that  he  did  not  try 
to  answer  immediately,  and  Still  took  it  for  assent  and 
moved  a  step  farther  into  the  room. 

"  I  don't  want  no  lawyers  between  us  ;  we're  old  friends. 
I  ain't  got  nothin'  against  you,  and  you  ain't  got  nothin' 
against  me  ;  and  I  don't  want  no  trouble  or  nothin'.  Your 
father  was  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  ;  and  I  jist  thought 
I'd  come  like  a  friend,  and  see  if  we  couldn't  settle  things 

like  old  friends — kind  of  compromise,  kind  o' ?"  He 

waved  his  hands  expressively. 

Jacquelin  found  his  voice. 

"  Get  out/'  he  said,  quietly,  with  a  sudden  paling  of  his 
face.  Still's  jaw  dropped.  Jacquelin  rose  to  his  feet,  a 
gleam  in  his  eyes. 

"  Get  out."  There  was  a  ring  in  his  voice,  and  he  took 
a  step  toward  Still.  But  Still  did  not  wait.  He  turned 
quickly  and  rushed  out  of  the  room,  never  stopping  until 
he  had  got  out  of  the  court-green. 

He  went  to  the  bar  of  the  tavern  and  ordered  two  drinks 
in  rapid  succession. 

"  I) — n  him  !"  he  said,  as  he  drained  off  his  glass  the 
second  time.  "  If  he  had  touched  me  I'd  have  shot  him." 

"  You're  lookin'  sort  o'  puny  these  days.  Been  sick  ?  " 
the  man  at  the  bar  asked. 

"  Yes — no — I  don'  know,"  said  Still,  gruffly.  He  went 
up  and  looked  at  himself  in  a  small  fly-speckled,  tin-like 
mirror  on  the  Avail.  "  I  ain't  been  so  mighty  well." 

"Been  ridin'  pretty  hard  lately  'bout  your  suit,  I 
reckon  ?  "  said  the  bar-keeper. 

"  I  don'  know.  I  ain't  afeared  'bout  it.  If  they  choose 
to  fling  away  money  tryin'  to  beat  me  out  o'  my  property, 
I've  got  about  as  much  as  they  have,  I  reckon." 

"I  reckon  you  have."     The  man's  manner  was  so  dry 


MR.    STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  443 

that  Still  cut  his  eye  at  him.  "  Why  don't  you  try  him 
with  a  compromise  ?  "  Still  looked  at  him  sharply  ;  but  he 
was  washing  a  glass,  and  his  face  was  as  impassive  as  a  mask. 

"  D — n  him  !  I  wouldn't  compromise  with  him  to  save 
his  life/'  said  Still.  ' '  D'  you  think  I'd  compromise  with  a 
man  as  is  aspersed  my  character  ?  " 

"  I  d'n'  know.  I  hear  there's  to  be  a  jury  ;  and  I  always 
heard,  if  there's  one  thing  the  L — d  don'  know,  it's  how  a 
jury's  goin'  to  decide." 

"  I  ain't  afeared  of  that  jury,"  said  Still,  on  whom  the 

whiskey  was  working.  "  I've  got "  He  caught  a  look 

of  sharpness  on  the  man's  face  and  changed.  "  I  ain't 
afeared  o'  no  jury — that  jury  or  no  other.  And  I  ain't 
afeared  o'  Jacquelin  Gray  nor  Mr.  Steve  Allen  neither.  I 
ain't  afeared  o'  no  man  as  walks.' ' 

"How  about  them  as  rides?"  asked  the  bar-keeper, 
dryly. 

The  effect  was  electric. 

"What  d'you  know  about  them  as  rides  ?"  asked  Still, 
surlily,  his  face  pale. 

"  Nothin'  but  what  I  hear.  I  hear  they's  been  a  rider 
seen  roun'  Eed  Rock  of  nights,  once  or  twice  lately,  ain't 
nobody  caught  up  with." 

"  Some  o'  these  scoundrels  been  a  tryin'  to  skeer  me," 
said  Still,  with  an  affectation  of  indifference.  "  But  they 
don't  know  me.  I'll  try  how  a  bullet  '11  act  on  'em  next 
time  I  see  one  of  'em." 

"I  would,"  said  the  bar-keeper.  "  You'se  seen  him, 
then  ?  I  heard  you  had." 

Hiram  saw  that  he  had  been  trapped  into  an  admission. 
Before  he  could  answer,  the  man  went  on  : 

"  They  say  down  this  away  it  means  something's  goin'  to 
happen.  How's  that  old  picture  been  standing  of  late  ?  " 

Still  burst  out  in  a  rage,  declaring  that  it  had  been  stand- 
ing all  right,  and  would  continue  to  stand  till  every  man 
against  him  was  in  the  hottest  region  his  imagination  could 
picture.  It  seemed  to  him,  he  said,  that  everybody  in  the 


444  RED   ROCK 

County  was  in  league  against  him.  The  bar-keeper  heard 
him  unmoved ;  but,  when  his  customer  left,  he  closed  his 
door  and  sauntered  over  to  the  office  of  Allen  and  Gray. 

When  Steve  returned  next  day,  Jacquelin  told  him  of  the 
interview  with  Still.  Steve's  eyes  lit  up. 

"  By  Jove  I  It  means  there's  something  we  don't  know  ! 
What  did  you  do  ?  " 

"  Threatened  to  kick  him  out  of  the  room." 

"  I  supposed  so.  But,  do  you  know,  Jack/'  he  said,  after 
a  moment's  reflection,  "  I  am  not  sure  you  did  right  ? 
As  a  man  I  feel  just  as  you  did  ;  but  as  a  lawyer  I  think 
we  should  try  and  compromise.  The  case  as  it  stands  is  a 
doubtful  one  on  the  law  ;  but  what  show  do  we  stand  be- 
fore his  new  judge.  You  know  he  is  hand  in  glove  with 
them,  and  they  say  was  appointed  to  try  this  very  case. 
Kemember,  there  is  Rupert." 

"  I  tell  you  what  I  will  do/'  said  Jacquelin,  "  and  it  is 
the  only  compromise  I  will  make.  You  can  go  to  him  and 
say  I  will  agree  to  dismiss  the  case.  If  he  will  give  Rupert 
the  full  half  of  the  place,  including  the  house,  and  me  the 
graveyard  and  Bird  wood,  with  three  hundred  acres  of  land, 
I  will  dismiss  the  suit.  You  can  go  to  him  and  say  so.  It 
will  still  leave  him  more  than  the  value  of  Birdwood." 

"  Birdwood  1  What  do  you  want  with  Bird ?  "  asked 

Steve,  in  amazement ;  but  at  the  moment  his  eye  rested 
on  Jacquelin's  face.  Jacquelin  was  blushing.  "  Oho  ! " 
he  exclaimed.  "  I  see." 

"  Not  at  all  ! "  said  Jacquelin.  "  I  have  no  hope  what- 
ever. Everything  has  gone  wrong  with  me.  I  feel  as  if 
as  soon  as  I  am  interested,  the  very  laws  of  nature  become 
reversed  ! " 

"  Nonsense  !  The  laws  of  nature  are  never  reversed  !  " 
exclaimed  Steve.  "It's  nothing  but  our  infernal  stu- 
pidity or  weakness.  Have  you  ever  said  anything  to  her 
since?" 

"  No,  I  am  done.     She's  an  iceberg." 

"  Iceberg  ?    When  I  saw  her  she  was  a  volcano.    Besides, 


ME.    STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  445 

ice  melts/'  said  Steve,  sententiously.  "  I'm  engaged  in  the 
process  myself." 

Jacquelin  could  not  talk  lightly  of  Blair,  and  he  rose 
and  quietly  walked  out  of  the  office.  As  his  footsteps  died 
away,  Steve  sat  back  in  his  chair  and  fell  into  a  reverie, 
induced  by  Jacquelin's  words  and  his  reply. 

Jacquelin  had  just  left  the  office  when  there  was  a  step 
outside,  and  a  knock  so  timid  that  Steve  felt  sure  that  it 
must  be  a  woman.  He  called  to  the  person  to  come  in  ; 
the  knock,  however,  was  repeated ;  so  Steve  called  out 
more  loudly.  The  door  opened  slowly,  and  a  young  col- 
ored woman  put  her  head  in  and  surveyed  the  office  care- 
fully. "  Is  dat  you,  Marse  Steve  ?  "  she  asked,  and  in- 
serted her  whole  body.  Then  turning  her  back  on  Steve, 
she  shut  the  door. 

Steve  waited  with  interest,  for  his  visitor  was  Martha, 
Jerry's  wife,  who  was  a  maid  at  Major  Welch's.  It  was  not 
the  first  time  Martha  had  consulted  him.  Now,  however, 
Steve  was  puzzled,  for  on  former  occasions  when  she 
came  to  see  him,  Jerry  had  been  on  a  spree  ;  but  Steve 
had  seen  Jerry  only  the  evening  before,  and  he  was  sober. 
Steve  motioned  the  girl  to  a  seat  and  waited. 

She  was  so  embarrassed,  however,  that  all  she  could  do 
was  to  tug  at  something  which  she  held  securely  tied  up 
in  her  apron.  Steve  tried  to  help  her  out. 

"  Jerry  drunk  again  ?  I  thought  I  had  given  him  a 
lesson  last  time  that  would  last  him  longer/' 

"  Nor,  suh,  he  ain'  drunk — yit.  But  I  thought  I'd 
come  to  'suit  you."  Again  she  paused,  and  looked  tim- 
idly around  the  room. 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  Has  he  threatened  to  beat  you  ?  " 
he  asked,  a  shade  gathering  on  his  brow.  "  He  knows 
what  he'll  get  if  he  tries  that  again." 

"  Nor,  suh,"  said  Martha,  quickly ;  "  I  am'  feared  o' 
dat.  He  know  better  'n  dat  now — sence  you  an'  my  gran'- 
mother  got  hold  o'  him  ;  but " — her  knot  came  untied, 
and  suddenly  she  gained  courage — "what  I  want  to 'suit 


446  BED   BOOK 

you  about  is  dis  :  I  want  to  ax  you, — is  Mr.  Spickit — 'lowed 
to  write  (  whiskey '  down  in  my  sto'-book  ?  "  She  clutched 
her  book,  and  gazed  at  Steve  as  if  the  fate  of  the  universe 
depended  on  the  answer. 

Steve  took  the  book  and  glanced  over  it.  It  was  a 
small,  greasy  account-book,  such  as  was  kept  by  persons 
who  dealt  at  the  little  country-stores  about  the  County. 
Many  of  the  items  were  simply  "Mdse.,"  but  on  the  last 
two  or  three  pages,  the  item  "  Whiskey "  appeared  with 
somewhat  undue  frequency. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Steve. 

"  Well,  you  see,  it's  disaway.  Jerry,  he  gits  his  whiskey 
at  Mr.  Spickit's — some  o'  it — an'  he  say  Mr.  Spickit  shell 
write  hit  down  on  de  book  dat  way,  an " 

"  Oh  !  You  don't  want  him  to  have  it  ?"  said  Steve,  a 
light  breaking  on  him. 

"Nor,  suh — dat  ain't  it.  I  don'  mine  he  havin'  de 
whiskey — I  don'  mine  he  gittin'  all  he  want — cuz  I  know 
he  gwine  drink  it.  But  I  don'  want  him  to  have  it  put 
down  dat  away  on  de  book.  I  is  a  member  o'  de  chutch, 
and  I  don'  want  whiskey  writ  all  over  my  book — dat's 
hit!" 

' '  Oh  ! "    Steve  smiled  acquiescingly. 

"  An'  I  done  tell  Jerry  so ;  an'  I  done  tell  Mr.  Spickit 
so,  an'  ax  him  not  to  do  it." 

((  Well,  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I  wants  him  to  put  it  down  '  merchandise,'  dat's  all ; 
an'  I  come  to  ax  you,  can't  you  meek  Jerry  do  it  dat 
away." 

"  Ah  !  I  see.     Why,  certainly  I  can." 

' '  An'  I  want  to  ax  you  dis  :  Jerry  say,  ef  I  don'  stop 
meddlin'  wid  he  business,  he  won'  let  me  have  no  sto'- 
book,  an'  he  gwine  lef  me ;  dat  he'll  rneck  you  git  a  di- 
vo'ce  from  me — an'  I  want  to  ax  you  ef  he  ken  lef  me  jes 
cuz  I  want  him  to  mark  it  merchandise  ?  Kin  he  git  a 
divorce  jes  for  dat  ?  "  She  was  far  too  serious  for  Steve 
to  laugh  now.  Her  face  was  filled  with  anxiety. 


MR.   STILL   OFFERS   A   COMPROMISE  447 

"  Of  course,  he  cannot." 

"  Well,  will  you  write  me  dat  down,  so  I  ken  show  it  to 
him?" 

Steve  gravely  wrote  a  few  lines,  which,  after  reading  to 
her,  he  folded  with  great  solemnity  and  handed  her. 

They  read  as  follows  : 

"  LEGAL   OPINION. 

"I  am  of  opinion  that  it  is  not  a  cause  for  divorce, 
either  a  vinculo  matrimonii  or  a  wensd  et  thoro,  when  a 
woman  insists  that  the  whiskey  which  her  husband  drinks, 
and  which  she  pays  for,  shall  be  entered  on  her  account- 
book  as  Mdse.  Given  under  my  hand  this day  of 

9  1$ m 

"  STEVENSON  ALLEN, 
"  Attorney  and  Counsellor-at-Law." 

The  young  woman  received  the  paper  with  the  greatest 
reverence  and  relief. 

"  Thankee,  Marse  Steve,"  she  said,  with  repeated  bows 
and  courtesies.  "  Dis  will  fix  him.  I  knowed  dat  if  I 
come  to  you,  you'd  tell  me  de  law.  Jerry  talk  like  he 
know  all  de  law  in  the  wull ! "  Armed  with  her  weapon, 
her  courage  Vas  returning.  "  But  Fll  straighten  him  out 
wid  dis."  She  tied  her  letter  up  in  her  apron  with  elabo- 
rate care.  Suddenly  her  face  grew  grave  again. 

"  'Spose  Jerry  say  he'll  trick  me  cuz  I  come  to  you  ?" 

"  Trick  you !  "  began  Steve,  in  a  tone  of  contempt. 

"  Not  he  himself ;  but  dat  he'll  git  Doct'  Moses  to  do 
it  ?"  Her  face  had  grown  quite  pale. 

"  If  he  says  he'll  trick  you,  tell  him  I'll  lick  him.  You 
come  to  me." 

"  Yes,  suh."  She  was  evidently  much  relieved,  but 
not  wholly  so.  "I  cert'ny  is  feared  o'  him,"  she  said, 
plaintively.  "  He  done  tricked  Jane — Sherrod's  wife — and 
a  whole  lot  o'  urrs,"  she  said.  Steve  knew  from  her  face 
that  the  matter  was  too  serious  to  be  laughed  at. 


448  RED   ROCK 

"You  tell  Jerry  that  if  he  dares  to  try  it,  or  even 
threatens  yon  with  it,  Fll  lick  the  life  out  of  him  and  dis- 
charge him.  And  as  for  Moses "  His  face  darkened. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  do  that/'  she  said,  quickly. 

"  Well,  you  tell  him  so,  anyhow.  And  if  I  get  hold  of 
Moses,  he  won't  trouble  you." 

tf  Yas,  suh,  I'll  tell  him  ef  he  try  to  trick  me.  'Cus  I 
cert'ny  is  feared  o'  dat  man."  She  was  going  out,  when 
Steve  called  her  back. 

"  Ah  !  Martha  ?    How  are  they  all  at  Major  Welch's  ?  " 

"Dee's  all  right  well,  thankee,  suh,"  said  Martha. 
fe  Sept  Miss  Ruth — she  ain  been  so  mighty  well  lately." 
Steve's  face  brightened. 

"Ah  !  What  is  the  matter  with  her  ?"  His  voice  was 
divided  between  solicitude  and  feigned  indifference. 

"  I  don'  know,  indeed,  suh.  She's  jes  sort  o'  puny — 
jes  heah  lately.  She  don't  eat  nuttin'.  Dee  talk  'bout 
sen'in'  her  'way." 

' '  Indeed  !  "  Steve  was  conscious  of  a  sudden  sinking 
of  the  heart. 

"I  think  she  ride 'bout  too  much  in  de  hot  sun,"  ex- 
plained Martha,  with  the  air  of  an  authority. 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  Steve. 

"  She  come  home  tother  evenin'  right  down  sick,  and 
had  to  go  to  bed,"  continued  Martha. 

"  Ah  !  when  was  that  ?  Why  don't  they  send  for  a 
doctor  ?— Dr.  Still  ?"  asked  Steve,  guilefully. 

"  Go  'way,  Marse  Steve,  you  know  dee  ain  gwine  let  dat 
man  practus  011  Miss  Ruth.  Dat's  what  de  matter  wid  her 
now.  He  come  dyah  all  de  time  teckin'  her  out  ridin' " 

"  Why,  he's  away  from  the  County,"  declared  Steve, 
who  appeared  to  have  a  surprising  knowledge  of  the  young 
Doctor's  movement. 

"  Yas,  suh  ;  but  I  talkin'  'bout  b'fo'  he  went  way.  He 
was  wid  her  dat  evenin'.  Least,  he  went  way  wid  her/but  he 
didn't  come  back  wid  her."  Her  tone  was  so  significant 
that  again  the  light  came  into  Captain  Allen's  eyes. 


ME.    STILL   OFFERS   A    COMPROMISE  449 

"  And  he  hasn't  been  back  since  ?  " 

"  Nor,  suh,  an'  he  ain't  comin'  back  nurr." 

"  And  you  don't  know  where  Miss  Welch  is  going,  or 
when?"  * 

"  Nor,  suh,  she  ain'  goin'  at  all.  I  heah  her  say  she 
wa'n't  gwine  ;  but  she  cert'ny  look  mighty  thin,  heah 
lately."  The  conversation  had  ended.  Steve  was  in  a 
reverie,  and  Martha  moved  toward  the  door. 

"  Well,  good-by,  Marse  Steve.  I  cert'ny  is  obliged  to 
you,  an'  I  gwine  send  you  some  eggs  soon  as  my  hens  be- 
gins to  lay  again." 

But  Captain  Allen  told  her  she  did  not  owe  him  any- 
thing. 

"  Come  again,  Martha,  whenever  yon  want  to  know 
about  anything — anything  at  all." 

When  Martha  went  out  she  heard  him  singing. 

The  story  of  Still's  offer  of  a  compromise  to  Jacquelin 
got  abroad,  and,  notwithstanding  the  wise  doctrine  of  the 
law  that  an  offer  of  compromise  shall  not  be  taken  as  evi- 
dence in  any  case,  this  particular  offer  was  so  taken.  Still 
found  himself  roundly  abused  by  his  counsel  for  being 
such  a  fool  as  to  propose  it.  All  sorts  of  rumors  began  to 
fly  about.  It  was  said  that  Mr.  Bagby  had  declined  to 
act  as  his  counsel.  To  meet  these  reports  it  was  neces- 
sary to  do  something,  and  Still's  counsel  held  a  consulta- 
tion. It  was  decided  that  he  should  give  an  entertainment. 

It  would  show  his  indifference  to  the  claims  of  the  Grays 
to  his  plantation,  and  would  prove  his  position  in  the 
County.  Leech  thought  that  this  would  be  a  good  thing 
to  do  ;  it  would  anger  the  Grays,  if  it  did  nothing  else.  He 
could  invite  Judge  Bail  up  to  it. 

s '  Make  it  a  fine  one  when  you  do  have  it,"  said  the  coun- 
sellor. "  I've  found  champagne  make  its  way  to  a  man's 
heart  when  you  couldn't  get  at  it  through  his  pocket." 

Dr.  Still  also  was  eager  to  have  such  an  entertainment. 
He,  too,  appreciated  the  fineness  of  the  stroke  that,  on  the 


450  BED  ROCK 

eve  of  battle,  would  show  their  contempt  for  the  other 
side.  Besides  which,  the  young  physician  had  another 
motive.  Soon  after  his  removal  from  the  County  to  the 
city  Dr.  Still  had  become  an  admirer  of  Governor  Kraf- 
ton's  daughter.  She  was  the  Governor's  only  child,  and 
even  the  Governor's  bitterest  enemies  admitted  that  he  was 
a  devoted  father ;  and  in  the  press  that  was  opposed  to 
him,  often  side  by  side  with  the  bitterest  attacks  ci  the 
Governor,  was  some  admiring  mention  of  his  handsome 
and  accomplished  daughter.  He  would  have  given  her  the 
moon,  someone  said  to  General  Legaie.  "  Yes,  even  if  he 
had  to  steal  it  to  do  so,"  said  the  General.  Miss  Kraf ton 
had  had  the  best  education  that  the  country  could  afford. 
This  she  had  finished  off  with  a  year  or  two  of  travel 
abroad.  She  had  just  returned  home.  She  idolized  her 
father,  and  perhaps  the  Governor  had  not  been  sorry  to 
have  her  out  of  the  country  where  half  the  press  was  daily 
filled  with  the  most  direct  and  vehement  accusations  against 
him.  The  Governor's  apologists  declared  that  his  most 
questionable  acts  were  from  the  desire  to  build  up  a  fortune 
for  his  daughter.  It  was  for  her  that  he  had  bought  the 
old  Haskelton  place,  one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  city,  and, 
pulling  down  the  fine  old  colonial  mansion,  had  erected  on 
its  site  one  of  the  costliest  and  most  bewildering  structures 
in  the  State. 

It  is  often  the  case  that  the  very  magnitude  of  the  efforts 
made  to  accomplish  a  design  frustrates  it ;  and  Governor 
Kraf  ton,  with  all  his  eagerness  to  be  very  rich,  and  his  ab- 
solute indifference  as  to  the  means  employed,  was  always 
involved  pecuniarily,  while  the  men  with  whom  he  worked 
appeared  to  be  immensely  successful.  Until  he  fell  out 
with  Leech  and  Still,  he  had  gone  in  with  them  in  their 
railroad  and  land  schemes ;  but  while  everything  that  they 
touched  appeared  to  turn  to  gold  (at  least,  it  was  so  with 
Still ;  for  there  were  rumors  respecting  Leech),  the  Gov- 
ernor was  always  hard  pushed  to  meet  his  expenditures. 

Still's  explanation  to  his  son  was  that  he  let  others  climb 


MB.    STILL  OFFERS  A   COMPROMISE  451 

the  trees  and  do  the  shaking,  and  he  stayed  on  the  ground 
and  gathered  the  apples.  "  Krafton  and  Leech  has  both 
made  more  money  than  I  have,"  he  said,  shrewdly  ;  "  but 

they  have  to  pay  it  out  to  keep  their  offices,  while  I " 

He  completed  the  sentence  by  a  significant  buttoning  of 
his  pocket.  "  They  think  that  because  they  get  a  bigger 
sheer  generally  than  I  do,  they  do  better.  But — it  ain't 
the  water  that  falls  on  the  land  that  makes  the  crops ; 
it's  what  sinks  in.  This  thing's  got  to  stop  some  time,  my 
son — ground  gets  worked  out — and  when  the  crops  are 
gethered  I  know  who  mine's  for."  He  gazed  at  his  son, 
with .  singled  shrewdness  and  affection.  The  young  Doctor 
also  looked  pleased.  His  father's  sharpness  at  times  made 
up  to  him  for  his  ignorance  and  want  of  education.  Dr. 
Still  was  not  lacking  in  smartness  himself,  and  had  been 
quick  enough  to  see  which  way  Miss  Krafton's  tastes  lay. 
He  had  discovered  that  she  was  both  proud  and  ambitious 
— Not  politically.  She  said  she  detested  politics  ;  that  her 
father  never  allowed  politics  to  be  talked  before  her ;  and 
when  he  gave  a  ' '  political  dinner,"  she  did  not  even  come 
downstairs.  She  was  ambitious  socially.  Dr.  Still  prompt- 
ly began  to  play  on  this  chord.  He  had  prevailed  on  his 
father  to  set  him  up  a  handsome  establishment  in  the 
city,  and  he  became  deeply  literary.  He  began  to  talk  of 
his  family — the  Stills  had  originally  been  Steels,  he  said, 
and  were  the  same  family  to  which  Sir  Eichard  Steel  be- 
longed— and  to  speak  of  his  "old  place  "  and  his  "old 
pictures."  He  described  them  with  so  much  eloquence 
that  Miss  Krafton  said  she  wished  she  could  see  them. 
This  gave  Dr.  Still  an  idea,  and  he  forthwith  began  to  plan 
an  entertainment.  As  it  happened,  it  was  at  the  very  time 
that  Leech  had  suggested  the  same  thing  to  Hiram  Still ; 
and  as  his  son  and  Leech  rarely  agreed  about  anything 
these  days,  Still  was  impressed,  and  the  entertainment  was 
determined  on.  It  was  to  be  the  "  finest  party  "  that  had 
ever  been  given  at  Eed  Rock.  On  this  all  were  united. 
Even  Hiram  yielded  to  the  general  pressure,  and  admitted 


452  RED   ROCK 

that  if  you  were  "  going  to  send  for  a  man's  turn  of  corn  it 
was  no  good  to  send  a  boy -to  mill  after  it." 

He  entrusted  the  arrangements  to  the  young  Doctor, 
who  laid  himself  out  on  them.  A  florist  and  a  band  were 
to  be  brought  up  from  the  city,  and  the  decorations  and  sup- 
per were  to  surpass  everything  that  had  ever  been  seen. 
A  large  company  was  invited,  including  many  guests  from 
the  city,  for  whom  a  special  train  was  f urnished,  and  Still, 
"  to  show  his  good  feeling/'  extended  the  invitation  to 
many  of  his  neighbors.  Major  and  Mrs.  Welch  and  Ruth 
were  invited.  Still  remembered  that  Major  Welch  had 
been  to  one  entertainment  in  that  house,  and  he  wished  to 
show  him  that  he  could  excel  even  the  Grays.  Dr.  Still 
was  at  first  determined  that  Miss  Welch  should  not  come  ; 
but  it  was  suggested  that  it  would  be  a  greater  triumph  to 
invite  her,  and  more  mature  reflection  decided  him  that 
this  was  so.  He  would  show  her  Miss  Krafton,  and  this 
would  be  a  greater  victory  than  to  omit  her  from  the  list 
He  could  not  but  believe  that  she  would  be  jealous. 

On  the  evening  of  the  entertainment  Major  Welch  and 
Mrs.  Welch  attended.  But  Miss  Ruth  did  not  accompany 
them.  She  was  not  very  well,  Mrs.  Welch  said  in  re- 
ply to  Virgy,  who,  under  Dr.  Still's  wing,  was  "receiv- 
ing "  in  a  stiff,  white  satin  dress,  and  looking  unf eignedly 
scared  as  she  held  her  great  bouquet,  like  an  explosive  that 
might  "  go  off  "  at  any  time.  Miss  Virgy's  face,  however, 
on  seeing  Mrs.  Welch's  familiar  countenance,  lit  up,  and 
she  greeted  her  with  real  pleasure,  and  expressed  regret 
that  Ruth  had  not  come,  with  a  sincerity  that  made  Mrs. 
Welch  warm  toward  her.  Mrs.  Welch  liked  her  better 
than  she  did  Miss  Krafton,  whom  she  had  met  casually  and 
thought  a  handsome  and  intelligent,  but  rather  conceited 
girl. 

It  was  a  curious  company  that  Major  and  Mrs.  Welch 
found  assembled.  The  strangers  from  the  city  included 
the  judge,  who  was  a  dark -looking  man  with  a  strong  face, 
a  heavy  mouth,  and  a  lowering  gray  eye ;  a  number  of 


MR.    STILL  OFFERS  A  COMPROMISE  453 

people  of  various  conditions,  whom  Mrs.  Welch  recognized 
as  men  whose  names  she  had  heard  as  connected  with 
Leech ;  and  a  number  of  others  whom  she  had  never  heard 
of.  But  there  was  not  a  soul  whom  she  had  ever  met  before 
socially.  Not  a  member  of  the  St.  Ann  congregation  was 
present.  Both  the  Stills  were  in  an  ill-humor,  and  Virgy, 
though  she  was  kind  and  cordial,  looked  wretchedly  un- 
happy. Mrs.  Welch  was  glad  that,  for  once,  she  had  not 
permitted  her  principles  to  override  her  instincts,  and  had 
left  Ruth  at  home.  As  she  glanced  about  her,  her  gaze 
rested  on  her  host.  Hiram  Still  was  talking  to  one  of  his 
guests,  a  small,  stumpy,  red-headed  man  with  a  twinkling 
eye  and  a  bristly  red  mustache,  whom  Mrs.  Welch  recog- 
nized as  an  office-holder  who  had  come  down  from  one  of 
the  Northern  States. 

Still  was  talking  in  a  high,  complaining  voice. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  evidently  in  answer  to  a  speech  by  his 
guest,  "  it  is  a  fine  party — the  finest  ever  given  in  this 
County.  It  ought  to  be  ;  I've  spent  enough  money  on  it  to 
buy  a  plantation,  and  to  show  my  friendliness  I  invited 
my  neighbors.  Some  of  'em  I  didn't  have  no  call  to  invite, 
— and  yet  just  look  around  you.  I've  got  a  lot  of  folks 
from  the  city  I  don't  know,  and  some  from  the  County 
I  know  too  well ;  but  not  one  of  my  old  neighbors  has 
come — not  one  gentleman  has  put  his  foot  here  this 
night." 

His  guest  glanced  round  the  hall,  and  ended  with  a 
quizzical  look  up  in  Still's  face.  "  Of  course,  what  did 
you  expect  ?  Do  you  suppose,  Still,  if  I  were  a  gentleman 
I'd  have  come  to  your  party  ?  I'd  have  seen  you  d— d 
first.  Let's  go  and  have  some  more  champagne." 

It  was  the  first  time  the  fact  had  struck  Mrs.  Welch.  It 
was  true — there  was  not  a  gentleman  there  except  her  hus- 
band. 

When  Mrs.  Welch  left,  shortly  afterward,  Still  and  his 
guest  had  evidently  got  more  champagne.  Still  was  vowing 
that  it  was  the  finest  party  ever  given  in  Red  Rock,  even  if 


454  BED   ROCK 

there  wasn't  a  gentleman  present ;  and  his  guest  was  laugh- 
ing and  egging  him  on.  As  Major  and  Mrs.  Welch  wait- 
ed for  their  carriage,  Leech  passed  with  Miss  Krafton 
on  his  arm.  Mrs.  Welch  drove  home  in  silence.  There 
were  things  she  did  not  wholly  understand. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

IN"   WHICH   IT  IS  SHOWN  THAT,  IN"  A  TRIAL,  COUNSEL 
MAY  ASK   ONE   QUESTION  TOO   MANY 

WHEN  the  Court  met,  at  which  the  trial  of  Jacquelin's 
suit  against  Hiram  Still  was  set,  all  other  matters,  even 
politics,  were  driven  from  mind. 

It  will  not  be  needful  to  go  in  detail  into  the  trial  of  the 
case.  The  examination  of  the  plaintiffs5  witnesses  occupied 
two  days.  In  the  contest  the  defendant,  to  use  the  phrase- 
ology of  another  arena,  was  acknowledged  to  have  "  drawn 
first  blood."  On  the  morning  of  the  trial  the  two  sides, 
with  their  counsel,  witnesses,  and  friends,  thronged  the 
court-house.  The  counsel,  an  imposing  array,  were  ranged 
along  the  bar,  fronting  the  bench  and  the  jury-box  which 
was  off  to  one  side,  and  in  which  sat  seven  solemn-looking 
negroes  and  five  scarcely  less  solemn  white  men.  Major 
Welch  sat  beside  Mr.  Bagby,  and  during  a  part  of  the  time 
Mrs.  Welch  and  Ruth  had  chairs  behind  them.  By  the 
time  they  were  all  settled  it  was  announced  that  the  Judge 
was  coming. 

It  had  been  the  practice  in  the  County,  when  the  Judge 
entered,  for  the  Bar  to  rise  and  remain  standing  until  he 
had  mounted  the  bench,  bowed  to  them,  and  taken  his  seat, 
when  they  bowed  and  resumed  their  places.  It  was  a  cus- 
tom brought  from  the  Supreme  Court,  before  which  Mr. 
Bagby,  General  Legaie,  and  others  of  that  bar  had  prac- 
tised in  old  times. 

Now,  when  the  Judge  entered  he  was  announced  by 
Sherwood,  the  Sheriff,  and  came  in  preceded  by  Leech  and 
HcRame.  And  not  a  man  rose.  The  Judge  walked  up 

455 


456  BED   ROCK 

the  steps  to  his  arm-chair,  faced  the  crowd,  and  for  a  sec- 
ond stood  still,  as  if  waiting.  Not  a  lawyer  stirred,  and 
the  Judge  took  his  seat.  A  half  scowl  was  on  his  brow, 
but  he  banished  it  and  ordered  Court  to  be  opened.  The 
case  was  called,  the  parties  announced  themselves  ready, 
the  jury  was  impanelled,  and  the  trial  was  begun.  Gen- 
eral Legaie  was  to  open  the  case.  It  was  the  custom  for 
a  chair  to  be  placed  inside  the  bar,  just  at  the  feet  of  the 
jurors.  This  chair  was  usually  occupied  by  one  of  the 
older  members  of  the  bar.  And  as  the  General  had  been 
growing  a  little  deaf,  he  had  been  taking  it  of  late.  He 
had  prepared  himself  with  great  care,  and  was  dressed  with 
the  utmost  scrupulousness — a  black  frock  coat,  white 
trousers,  a  high  stock,  and  immaculate  linen — and  when 
the  case  was  called  he  stood  up.  He  presented  a  striking 
figure.  The  gravity  of  the  occasion  spoke  in  every  line  of 
his  weather-beaten,  high-bred  face.  To  his  mind  it  was 
not  a  mere  question  of  title  to  property  he  was  to  argue  ; 
it  was  the  question  between  the  old  and  the  new — it  was  a 
civilization  that  was  on  trial.  He  took  the  papers  in  his 
hand,  glanced  with  some  curiosity  along  the  lines  of  the 
jury,  and  faced  the  judge. 

"  If  the  Court  please- — "  he  began,  in  a  calm,  well- 
modulated  voice  that  brought  an  instant  hush  over  the 
whole  court-room. 

His  words  appeared  to  wake  the  judge  from  a  lethargy. 
He,  however,  took  no  notice  whatever  of  the  General,  but 
addressed  the  sheriff. 

"Put  that  man  behind  the  bar." 

The  Sheriff  was  mystified,  and  looked  first  around  him 
and  then  at  the  judge,  in  a  puzzled  way,  to  see  whom  he 
referred  to. 

"Suh?" 

"  Make  that  man  get  behind  the  bar."  He  simply  glanced 
at  the  General.  This  time  the  negro  took  in  what  he 
meant,  and  he  approached  the  General  doubtfully.  The 
General  had  not  caught  all  the  words,  but  he  had  heard  a 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      457 

part  of  it,  and  he  also  looked  around.  Bnt  seeing  no  one  to 
be  removed,  and  not  understanding  the  cause  of  the  order, 

he  was  just  beginning  again  :  "If  the  Court  please " 

when  the  negro  came  up  to  him.  The  General  stopped 
and  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

"  De  Cote  say  you  is  to  git  behine  de  bar,"  said  the  Sher- 
iff. The  General  leaned  forward,  his  hollowed  hand  raised 
to  his  ear. 

<e  De  Cote  say  you  is  to  git  behine  de  bar." 

The  General  turned  sharply  to  the  bench  and  shot  one 
piercing  look  at  the  Judge ;  then,  seeming  to  recollect  him- 
self, wheeled  about,  walked  across  to  Steve  and  laid  the  pa- 
pers of  the  suit  on  the  bar  before  him,  took  up  his  hat, 
turned  his  back  squarely  on  the  Court,  and  faced  the  Bar  : 

"  Good-morning,  gentlemen."  He  made  them  a  low  bow, 
clapped  his  hat  on  his  head,  and  marched  out  of  the  court- 
room. 

It  made  a  sensation.  Steve  Allen  rose  and  asked  the 
Court  to  postpone  the  case  until  after  dinner,  the  hour  for 
which  was  approaching.  General  Legaie,  he  said,  was  the 
leading  counsel  on  their  side. 

"  Proceed  with  the  case/'  said  the  judge. 

It  was  conceded  that  the  action  of  General  Legaie  was  a 
loss  to  the  plaintiffs'  side,  but  every  one  on  that  side  sus- 
tained him.  They  did  not  see  how  a  gentleman  could 
have  done  otherwise. 

The  case  proceeded  without  him. 

It  was  attempted  to  show  that  Mr.  Gray  could  not  have 
owed  all  the  money  Still  claimed,  and  that,  if  he  did  owe 
it,  before  Still  brought  suit  he  must  have  received  from 
Red  Eock  crops  enough  to  reduce  the  amount  largely,  if 
not  to  discharge  it. 

The  investigation  was  fought  at  every  point  by  Still's 
counsel,  and  the  Judge  almost  uniformly  ruled  in  favor  of 
their  objections,  so  that  Steve  Allen  had  hard  work  to 
maintain  his  composure.  His  eyes  flashed  and  a  cloud 
lowered  on  his  brow  as  he  noted  exception  after  exception. 


458  KED   KOCK 

At  length  the  Court  began  to  head  him  off  from  even  this 
protection,  by  ruling,  whenever  Captain  Allen  rose,  that 
he  was  out  of  order.  When  Court  adjourned  the  second 
day  it  was  felt  that  except  for  the  suspicious  fact  that  Still 
had  not  endorsed  any  credit  on  the  bonds,  no  fraud  had 
been  shown  in  his  title  to  them.  Witnesses  who  had  been 
put  on  the  stand  to  show  facts  tending  to  prove  that  he 
could  not  have  had  any  such  amount  of  money  had  been 
ruled  out.  It  was  conceded  that  under  the  Court's  rul- 
ing no  sufficient  ground  had  been  established  to  upset 
Still's  title.  The  defendant's  counsel  were  jubilant,  and 
that  night  debated  whether  they  should  put  any  witnesses 
on  the  stand  at  all.  Leech  was  against  it.  The  Judge 
was  with  them,  he  maintained.  Mr.  Bagby  was  acquies- 
cent, but  Major  Welch  insisted  that,  at  least,  he  should 
go  on  the  stand  to  state  his  connection  with  the  case. 
He  did  not  intend  that  it  should  appear  of  record  that  his 
name  had  been  connected  with  a  charge  of  fraud,  and 
that,  when  he  had  had  the  opportunity  to  go  on  the  stand 
and  deny  it,  he  had  failed  to  do  so.  Mr.  Bagby's  eyes  lit 
up  with  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  as  he  listened  to  him,  partly 
because  of  pride  in  his  client,  and  partly,  perhaps,  because 
of  the  discomfiture  of  Leech  and  his  client.  The  old  law- 
yer was  content  either  way,  for  he  did  not  see  how  he  could 
possibly  be  hurt,  whatever  might  happen.  So,  next  morn- 
ing, the  defence  began  to  take  evidence,  and  after  they 
began  to  introduce  witnesses  it  was  necessary  to  go  fully 
into  the  case.  It  was,  however,  plain  sailing  :  wind  and 
tide,  in  shape  of  the  sympathy  of  the  Court,  were  with 
them,  and  as  often  as  Captain  Allen  interposed  objections 
they  were  ruled  out.  Witnesses  were  put  up  to  show  that 
Still  had  always  been  a  keen  business  man,  and  had  at  va- 
rious times  lent  money  to  his  neighbors,  including  Mr. 
Gray.  Mr.  Gray's  confidence  in  him  was  proved,  and  it 
was  shown  that  he  had  relied  on  him  so  far  as  to  send  him 
South  as  his  agent.  Still  was  ostentatiously  offered  by 
Leech  as  a  witness  to  prove  everything,  but  was  objected 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      459 

to  on  the  ground  that  the  other  party  to  the  transaction  was 
dead,  and  was  necessarily  held  incompetent.  All  the  merit, 
however,  of  what  he  might  prove  was  secured.  An  undis- 
puted bond  of  Mr.  Gray's  was  put  in  proof.  It  was  dated 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  and  was  the  bond  given  for 
money  to  help  equip  the  Ked  Rock  Company.  This  bond 
was  taken  from  the  bundle  of  papers  in  the  old  suit 
which  Still  had  brought,  and  whilst  it  was  being  examined 
the  other  papers  in  the  file  were  left  spread  out  on  the 
bar  before  Leech,  with  the  big  bond  lying  by  itself  until 
it  should  be  offered  in  evidence.  In  this  way  a  presump- 
tion was  raised  as  to  StilFs  means  and  ability  to  lend 
money.  Just  then  it  became  necessary  to  show  the  time 
when  Still  went  South,  in  order  to  connect  the  large  bond 
with  that  visit.  An  attempt  was  made  to  do  this,  but  the 
witnesses  put  on  the  stand  to  prove  it  got  confused  on 
cross-examination  and  differed  among  themselves  by  sev- 
eral years.  It  was  now  night,  and  Leech  was  anxious  to 
close  the  case.  Things  had  been  going  so  smoothly  that 
he  was  impatient.  He  glanced  around  the  court-room. 

"  Is  there  no  one  here  who  was  present  when  you  went 
or  came  back  ?"  he  asked  Still,  with  a  frown.  Still  looked 
about  him. 

"Yes,  there's  a  nigger.  He  was  there  both  when  I 
went  away  and  when  I  came  back.  He  used  to  work 
about  the  house."  He  pointed  to  Doan,  who  stood  be- 
hind the  bar  in  the  throng  of  spectators.  "  But  I  don't 
want  to  put  him  on,"  he  whispered.  "I  don't  like  him." 

"  Oh  !  nonsense  !  It's  only  a  single  fact,  and  if  we  can 
prove  it  by  one  witness,  it's  as  good  as  by  a  hundred." 
He  turned  and  spoke  to  Doan  from  his  seat. 

"Come  around  and  be  sworn."  Doan  came  to  the 
clerk's  desk  and  was  sworn.  He  was  told  by  Leech  that 
he  need  not  sit  down,  as  there  was  only  one  question  to  be 
asked.  So  he  stood  just  in  front  of  the  bar,  where  the 
papers  were  spread  on  it,  looking  self-conscious  and  sheep- 
ish, but  very  self-important.  Leech  put  his  question. 


460  RED  ROOK 

"  Do  you  know  when  Mr.  Still  was  sent  South  by  Mr. 
Gray  ?  " 

"  Yes,  suh.  Cose  I  does.  I  was  right  dyah.  See  him 
de  night  he  come  back." 

"Well,  tell  those  gentlemen  when  it  was,"  said  Leech. 
A  shade  of  impatience  crossed  his  face  as  Doan  looked 
puzzled.  "  What  year  it  was  ? "  He  leaned  over  and 
touched  the  big  bond  lying  on  the  bar  before  him,  prepara- 
tory to  putting  it  in  evidence.  The  act  seemed  to  arouse 
the  negro's  intellect. 

"  Well,  I  don*  know  nothin'  'bout  what  year  'twuz," 
he  said,  "  but  I  knows  when  'twuz." 

"  Well,  when  was  it  ?  And  how  do  you  know  when  it 
was  ?  "  Leech  asked,  sharply. 

"'Twuz  when  de  big  picture  o'  de  ghos'  in  de  gret  hall 
fall  down  the  lass'  time,  jes  b'fo'  de  war.  Mr.  Still  had  jes 
come  back  from  de  Souf  de  day  befo',  an'  him  and  marster 
wuz  in  the  gret  hall  togerr  talkin'  'bout  things,  and  Mr. 
Still  had  jes  ontie  he  picket-book  an'  gin  marster  back  de 
papers,  when  de  win'  blow  'em  on  de  fiV  an'  de  picture 
come  down  out  de  frame  'quebang,  most  'pon  top  my 
haid." 

"Stop  him!  For  God's  sake!  stop  him,"  muttered 
Still,  clutching  at  Leech's  arm.  The  lawyer  did  not 
catch  his  words,  and  turned  to  him.  Still  was  deadly 
pale.  "  Stop  him ! "  he  murmured.  A  stillness  had 
fallen  on  the  court-room,  and  the  crowd  was  listening. 
Leech  saw  that  something  had  happened. 

"Hold  on.  Stop!  How  do  you  know  this?"  His 
tone  was  suddenly  combative. 

"  Hi !  I  wuz  right  dyah  onder  it,  and  it  leetle  mo'  fall 
'pon  top  my  haid."  Doan  gave  a  nod  of  satisfaction  as  he 
recalled  his  escape.  "  Yes,  suh,  I  thought  he  had  got  me 
dat  time  sho' ! "  he  chuckled,  with  a  comical  glance  at  the 
negroes  before  him,  who  roused  up  at  the  reminiscence 
and  laughed  at  his  whimsical  look.  "  'Twuz  in  de  spring, 
and  I  wuz  paintin'  de  hearth  wid  red  paint,  and  marster 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      461 

an'  de  overseer  was  talkin'  togerr  at  de  secretary  by  de 
winder  'bout  de  new  plantation  down  Souf  ;  an*  I  wuz  doin' 
mo'  lis'nin  'n  painting  cuz  when  I  heah  Mr.  Still  say  he 
hadn'  buyed  all  de  Ian'  an'  niggers  marster  'spected  him 
to  buy  and  had  done  bring  he  barn  back,  I  wuz  wonderin' 
what  that  wuz  an'  ef  dee'd  sen'  any  o'  our  blackfolks  down 
Souf  ;  and  thunderstorm  come  up  right  sudden,  an'  b'f  o'  dee 
pull  de  winder  down,  blowed  dem  papers,  what  Mr.  Still 
bring  back  an'  teck  out  he  pocket  an'  gi'  to  marster,  off 
de  secretary  down  on  de  flo',  and  slam  de  do'  so  hard  de 
old  Ingin-killer  fall  right  out  de  frame  mos'  'pon  top  my 
haid.  Yas,  suh,  I  wuz  dyah  sho' !"  He  was  telling  the 
incident  of  the  picture  and  not  of  the  papers,  and  the 
crowd  was  deeply  interested.  Even  the  Judge  was 
amused.  Still,  with  white  face,  was  clutching  Leech's 
arm,  making  him  signals  to  stop  the  witness ;  and  Leech, 
not  yet  wholly  comprehending,  was  waiting  for  a  pause  to 
do  so,  without  its  being  too  marked.  But  Doan  was  too 
well  launched  to  stop.  He  flowed  on  easily  :  "  I  holp  Mr. 
Still  to  put  de  picture  back  in  the  frame  an'  nail 't  up  after 
marster  had  done  put  de  paper  what  he  call  he  'barn,'  in 
de  hole  behine  it,  an'  I  tell  you  I  didn't  like  it  much 
nohow.  An*  Mr.  Still  didn'  like  it  much  nurr." 

"  Stop  him  ! "  whispered  Still,  agonizingly. 

"  Here,  this  is  all  nonsense,"  broke  in  Leech,  angrily. 
"You  don't  know  what  Mr.  Still  thought.  You  know 
that  he  came  back  from  the  South  some  year  that  there 
was  a  thunderstorm,  and  a  picture  was  blown  out  of  a 
frame  or  fell  down.  And  that's  all  you  know.  You  don't 
know  what  Mr.  Still  thought  or  anything  else."  But 
Doan  was  by  this  time  at  his  ease,  enjoying  the  taste  of 
publicity. 

"  Yas,  suh,  I  does,  cuz  I  hear  him  say  so.  I  holp  him 
nail  de  picture  back  after  marster  had  done  put  dem  very 
papers  Mr.  Still  gi'  him  back  in  de  hole  behine  it.  An'  I 
hear  Mr.  Still  tell  marster  't  ef  it  wuz  him  he'd  be  skeered, 
cuz  dee  say  'twuz  bad  luck  to  anybody  in  de  house  ef  de 


462  RED   KOCK 

picture  fall ;  and  marster  say  he  wa'n't  skeered,  dat  ef  any- 
thing happen  to  him  he  could  trust  Mr.  Still,  an'  he'd  put 
de  papers  in  de  hole  behine  de  picture,  so  ef  anyone  ever 
fine  'em  dee'd  see  what  a  faithful  man  he  had  ;  he  had 
trus'  him  wid  he  barn  for  thousands  o'  dollars,  an*  he 
brung  it  back,  an'  he  gwine  nail  de  picture  up  now  so 
'twon'  come  down  no  mo'." 

"  Oh !  Your  master  said  he  felt  he  could  trust  Mr. 
Still  ? "  said  Leech,  brightening,  catching  this  crumb  of 
comfort. 

"  Yas,  suh." 

"  And  what  did  Mr.  Still  say  ?" 

"He  say  he  could  too."    The  crowd  laughed. 

' '  And  he  nailed  the  picture  up  securely  ?  " 

"Yas,  suh.  Iholped  him.  Marster  sont  me  to  teck 
Marse  Kupert  out,  cuz  he  wuz  dabblin'  he  little  byah 
foots  in  de  paint  on  de  hearth,  trackin'  up  de  no',  an'  had 
done  step'pon  one  o'  de  barns  whar  blow'  down,  an'  mark 
it  up ;  an'  he  tell  me  when  I  come  back  to  bring  hammer 
an'  nails  to  nail  de  picture  up,  an'  so  I  done." 

Still  was  again  squeezing  his  counsel's  arm  painfully, 
whispering  him  to  stop  the  witness.  But  Leech  had  to  ask 
one  more  question. 

(f  You  brought  the  nails  and  nailed  it  up  ?  " 

"Yes,  suh,  me  an*  Mr.  Still.  An'  Marse  Rupert  he 
come  back,  and  Mr.  Jack  dyah  wid  him,  an'  say  he  gwine 
help  too.  He  wuz  always  pesterin'  roun',  dem  days." 
This  in  pleasant  reminiscence  to  the  crowd. 

"You  can  stand  aside,"  said  Leech,  contemptuously. 
He  gave  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  Doan  was  turning  slowly  to 

go- 

"  Hold  on."  Steve's  deep  voice  broke  in.  Jacquelin  was 
whispering  to  him  eagerly.  A  new  light  had  come  into 
his  eyes,  and  he  was  scanning  Still's  white  face,  on  which 
the  beads  of  sweat  had  stood  during  the  whole  examina- 
tion. Steve,  still  listening  to  Jacquelin's  rapid  speech, 
rose  slowly  to  get  the  bond  lying  on  the  bar.  Before  he 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      463 

could  reach  it  however,  McRaffle,  one  of  the  counsel  as- 
sociated with  Leech,  partly  resenting  the  neglect  of  him- 
self and  wishing  to  earn  his  fee,  leant  forward.  •  He  would, 
at  least,  ask  one  question. 

"  You  nailed  it  up  securely,  and  that  was  the  last  time 
it  fell."  He  spoke  rather  in  affirmation  than  question. 

"  Nor,  suh  ;  it  done  fall  down  two  or  three  times  since 
den.  Hit  fall  de  day  marster  wuz  kilt,  an'  hit  fall  de  even- 
in'  Mr.  Still  dyah  got  de  papers  out  de  hole  agin.  Dat's 
de  evenin'  Mr.  Leech  dyah  'rest  Marse  Jack.  Mr.  Leech 
know  'bout  dat." 

Suddenly  a  voice  rang  through  the  court-room. 

"  It's  a  lie  !  It's  all  a  d— d  lie  !  "  It  was  Hiram  Still, 
and  he  had  sprung  to  his  feet  in  uncontrollable  agitation, 
his  face  livid.  Every  eye  was  turned  on  him,  and  Leech 
caught  him  and  pulled  him  down  forcibly  into  his  seat, 
rising  in  his  place  and  addressing  the  Court. 

"  If  your  honor  please,"  he  said,  "  all  of  this  is  irrel- 
evant. I  have  no  idea  what  it  is  all  about ;  but  it  has  no 
bearing  whatever  on  this  case  :  a  lot  of  stuff  about  a  pict- 
ure falling  down.  I  shall  ask  you  to  exclude  it  all  from 
the  jury " 

"  But  I  will  show  whether  or  not  it  is  relevant,"  asserted 
Steve.  He  had  picked  up  the  bond  from  the  bar  and  held 
it  firmly.  His  voice  had  a  new  ring  in  it. 

Leech  turned  on  him  angrily,  but  caught  his  eye  and 
quieted  down.  He  addressed  the  Court  again. 

"  I  will  show  how  impossible  it  is  for  it  to  be  accepted. 
Can  you  read  or  write  ?  "  he  demanded  of  Doan,  who  stood 
much  puzzled  by  what  was  going  on. 

"  Nor,  suh." 

' ( And  you  cannot  tell  one  paper  from  another,  can 
you?" 

"  Nor,  suh.  But  ef  de  paper  Mr.  Still  got  out  from  be- 
hine  de  picture  dat  evenin'  I  see  him  git  up  in  de  hole 
after  you  brung  Marse  Jack  away,  is  de  one  I  see  him  gi' 
marster  an'  see  him  put  in  dyah,  hit's  got  Marse  Rupert's 


464  BED   ROCK 

foot- track  'pon  it — least  his  toe-tracks— whar  he'd  been 
dabblin'  in  de  fresh  paint  on  de  hearth  ;  cuz  dat's  de  reason 
marster  meek  me  cyar  him  out,  cuz  he  step  'pon  de  barn 
whar  blown  down  on  de  hall-flo'  wid  red  paint,  an'  track 
up  de  flo'  runnin*  after  it."  (Here  Steve,  with  a  bow, 
handed  the  bond  across  to  Major  Welch.)  "  I  see  marster 
when  he  put  de  paper  in  de  bundle  an'  Mr.  Still  put  it  up 
in  de  hole  behine  de  picture,  an*  I  see  Mr.  Still  when  he 
git  up  in  de  hole  an'  teck  it  out  de  evenin'  de  picture  fall 
down  after  mistis  an'  all  de  white  folks  come  'way  to  de 
cote-house  after  Marse  Jack.  Ef  it's  de  same  barn  hit's 
got  he  toe-marks  on  hit  in  red  paint,  cuz  I  can  show  you 
de  tracks  on  de  hall  flo'  now.  Hit's  dim,  but  hit's  dyah  on 
de  flo'  still.  Ef  you  go  dyah  wid  me  I  can  show  't  to  you." 

At  this  moment  Major  Welch,  who  had  been  holding  the 
bond  in  his  hand  and  had  studied  it  carefully,  leaned  for- 
ward and  held  it  out  to  the  negro. 

Still,  with  a  gasp,  made  a  grab  for  Leech,  and  Leech 
reached  for  the  paper;  but  Major  Welch  put  him  aside 
without  even  looking  at  him. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  that  paper  before  ?  "  he  asked  Doan. 
Doan's  face  lit  up,  and  he  gave  an  ejaculation  of  surprise 
and  pleasure. 

"  Yas,  suh,  dat's  de  very  paper  I'se  talkin'  'bout."  He 
took  it  and  held  it  triumphantly,  turning  it  so  it  could  be 
seen.  "  Dyah's  Marse  Rupert's  little  toe-marks  'pon  hit 
now,  jes'  like  I  tell  you."  And  as  the  paper  was  viewed, 
there,  without  doubt,  were  the  prints — incontestably  the 
marks  of  five  little  toes,  as  the  exclamation  of  the  specta- 
tors certified.  Doan  was  delighted  at  his  justification. 
"  I  knowed  he  teck  it  out,  cuz  I  see  him  when  he  cut  de 
string  up  dyah  an'  put  it  in  he  pocket,  an'  I  see  de  string 
when  I  put  it  back,"  he  said,  confidentially,  to  the  crowd. 
"  I  see  him,  an'  Unc'  Tarquin  see  him  too,  cuz  he  had  jes 
come  over  to  see  'bout  Marse  Jack  ;  an  he  ax  me  afterwards 
what  Mr.  Still  wuz  doin'  in  de  hole  up  dyah  rummagin* 
papers." 


STILL   SPRUNG   TO  HIS  FEET  IN  UNCONTROLLABLE  AGITATION,  HIS  FACE 

LIVID. 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY     465 

"  That's  so  !  °  exclaimed  a  deep  voice  back  in  the  crowd. 
"I  saw  him  in  the  hole,  and  I  saw  him  take  some  papers 
out  and  put  them  in  his  pocket."  It  was  old  Tarquin, 
standing  still  and  solemn  in  the  front  row  of  the  negroes 
behind  the  bar. 

The  Judge  roared  for  silence,  and  Leech  rose  and  re- 
newed his  motion.  He  denounced  the  whole  story  as  non- 
sensical and  absurd. 

Steve  Allen  started  to  contest  the  motion  ;  but  the  Judge 
sustained  it,  and  ruled  out  Doan's  testimony,  to  which  Steve 
excepted.  Then  Leech  calmly  offered  the  bond  in  evi- 
dence, and  announced  that  they  were  through  and  wanted 
no  argument. 

Steve  Allen  offered  to  put  Doan  on  the  sfcand  as  his  wit- 
ness, but  Leech  objected  ;  the  plaintiffs  had  closed  their 
case,  he  said.  And  so  the  Court  ruled.  Steve  Allen 
claimed  the  right  to  put  the  witness  on  the  stand,  assert- 
ing that  it  was  in  rebuttal.  But  the  Court  was  firm.  The 
Judge  declined  "  to  hear  ghost  stories."  Steve  insisted, 
and  the  Court  ordered  him  to  take  his  seat.  He  was 
"out  of  order."  The  case  was  closed,  and  he  wanted  to 
hear  no  argument.  In  such  a  case  the  verdict  of  a  jury 
was  not  obligatory  on  the  Court,  it  was  only  to  instruct 
the  mind  of  the  chancellor.  He  had  heard  all  that  the 
jury  had  heard,  and  his  mind  was  clear.  He  would  in- 
struct them  to  bring  in  a  verdict  that  no  fraud  had  been 
shown,  and  the  defendants  would  prepare  a  decree  ac- 
cordingly. 

On  this  Steve  suddenly  'flamed  out.  He  would  like  to 
know,  he  said,  when  he  had  been  in  order  in  that  court. 
It  was  an  outrage  on  decency  ;  the  rulings  of  the  Court 
were  a  cover  for  fraud. 

He  was  certainly  out  of  order  now.  The  Judge  was 
angry,  but  he  was  not  afraid. 

"  Take  your  seat,  sir,"  he  shouted.  "I  will  commit  you 
for  contempt."  The  anger  of  the  Judge  cooled  Steve's. 

"  If  you  do,  it  will  certainly  be  for  contempt/'  he  said, 
30 


466  RED   KOCK 

recovering  his  composure.  He  was  looking  the  Judge 
squarely  in  the  eyes. 

"  I  will  put  you  in  jail,  sir  ! " 

ef  It  has  no  terrors  for  me.  It  is  more  honorable  than 
your  court/' 

"  I  will  disbar  you  ! "  roared  the  Judge. 

"  You  have  substantially  done  it  in  this  case/'  said 
Steve. 

The  Judge  was  foaming.  He  turned  to  the  clerk  and 
commanded  him  to  enter  an  order  immediately  striking 
Steve's  name  from  the  roll  of  attorneys  practising  in  that 
court,  and  ordered  the  Sheriff  to  take  him  into  custody. 
The  excitement  was  intense.  Instinctively  a  number  of 
men,  Andy  Stamper  among  them,  moved  up  close  to  Steve 
and  stood  about  him.  The  colored  Sheriff,  who  had 
started,  paused  and  looked  at  the  Judge  inquiringly.  The 
Judge  was  just  beginning  to  speak  again  to  the  Sheriff,  but 
his  attention  was  arrested. 

At  this  moment  Jacquelin  rose.  His  calm  manner  and 
assured  voice  quieted  the  hubbub ;  and  the  Judge  looked  at 
him  and  waited.  As  his  counsel  was  disbarred,  Jacquelin 
said,  he  should  ask  the  Court  to  allow  him  to  represent 
himself  at  this  juncture,  and  also  his  brother,  who  was  still 
a  minor.  He  calmly  stated  the  series  of  events  that  had 
prevented  their  knowing  before  the  facts  that  had  just  then 
been  disclosed,  and  which  made  everything  clear ;  and  he 
asked  leave  to  amend  their  bill,  or  to  file  a  new  one,  on  the 
ground  of  after-discovered  evidence.  With  the  new  light 
thrown  on  the  case,  he  traced  Still's  action  step  by  step, 
and  suddenly  wound  up  with  a  charge  that  Still  had  ar- 
rested his  brother  to  get  him  out  of  the  way  and  destroy 
the  danger  of  his  testimony.  A  roar  of  applause  burst 
from  the  white  men  present,  in  whom  a  ray  of  hope  began 
to  shine  once  more.  Jacquelin  sat  down. 

Of  all  the  people  in  the  court-room  the  Judge  was  the 
most  calm.  He  was  as  motionless  as  a  sphinx.  As  Jacque- 
lin took  his  seat  there  was  a  brief  pause  of  deathly  still- 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      467 

ness.  The  Judge  looked  at  Leech  and  waited.  The  latter 
caught  the  signal  and  his  face  lit  up.  He  put  his  hand  on 
the  bar,  and  leant  forward  preparatory  to  rising  to  his  feet. 
Before  he  could  make  another  motion  Major  Welch  rose. 
Every  eye  was  turned  on  him.  Old  Mr.  Bagby  gazed  up  at 
him,  his  lips  slightly  parted,  his  eyes  filled  with  wonder- 
ment. Leech,  with  his  hand  resting  on  the  bar  and  his 
body  bent  forward,  waited.  The  Judge  turned  his  gaze  to 
Major  Welch.  The  silence  became  almost  palpable.  Major 
Welch's  face  was  pale,  and  the  lines,  as  seen  in  the  dim 
light,  appeared  to  have  deepened  in  it.  His  form  was  erect. 
"  If  your  honor  please,"  he  began,  "I  am  a  defendant 
in  this  case,  and  hold  as  a  purchaser  under  the  other  de- 
fendant a  considerable  part  of  the  property  sought  to  be 
recovered  by  the  plaintiffs.  I  bought  it  honestly  and  paid 
for  it,  believing  that  it  was  the  land  of  the  man  from 
whom  I  bought,  and  I  still  hold  it.  There  have  been  a 
number  of  things  since  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  un- 
derstand until  now.  I  have  observed  closely  all  that  has 
gone  on  here  to-day,  and  have  heard  all  that  has  just  been 
said.  I  wish  to  say  that,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned — so  far 
as  relates  to  the  part  of  the  property  formerly  belong, 
ing  to  Mr.  Jacquelin  Gray  and  his  brother  now  held  by 
me — I  am  satisfied.  It  will  not  be  necessary  for  the 
plaintiffs  to  take  the  step  that  has  just  been  proposed,  of 
filing  a  new  bill.  From  certain  facts  within  my  own 
knowledge,  and  which  I  did  not  understand  before,  but  on 
which,  what  has  just  taken  place  has  thrown  a  full  light, 
I  am  quite  satisfied.  And  if  the  complainants  will  prepare 
a  proper  deed  reconveying  the  land — my  part  of  the  land 
— to  them,  I  will  execute  it  without  further  delay,  and  will 
make  such  restitution  as  I  can.  I  have  lost  what  I  put 
into  it,  which  is  a  considerable  part  of  all  I  possessed  in 
the  world.  But " — he  paused  for  a  second — "  there  is  one 
thing  I  have  not  lost,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  lose  it.  I 
am  not  willing  to  hold  another  man's  property  which  he 
lost  by  fraud."  (For  the  first  time  he  turned  and  faced  the 


468  RED   ROCK 

bar.  His  voice  which,  if  firm,  had  been  grave  and  low, 
suddenly  became  strong  and  full,  with  a  ring  in  it  of 
pride.)  "I  shall  expect  them  to  make  a  declaration  of 
record  that  every  transaction,  so  far  as  I  at  least  was  con- 
cerned, was  free  from  any  taint  of  suspicion."  He  sat  down, 
amid  a  deathly  silence.  The  next  moment,  from  all 
through  the  court-room,  there  was  a  cheer  that  almost 
took  the  roof  off.  The  Judge  scowled  and  rapped,  but  it 
was  beyond  him  ;  and  in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  restore  or- 
der, the  tumult  went  on  wildly,  cheer  after  cheer,  not  only 
for  the  act,  but  for  the  man. 

Ruth,  who  all  through  the  scene  had  been  sitting  beside 
her  mother,  holding  her  arm  tightly,  her  face  as  white  as 
her  handkerchief,  in  a  fit  of  uncontrollable  emotion  burst 
into  tears  and  threw  herself  into  her  mother's  arms ;  and 
Mrs.  Welch's  eyes  were  glistening  and  her  face  was  lit 
by  a  glow  which  she  did  not  always  permit  to  rest  there. 

Old  Mr.  Bagby  had  sat  half -dazed  by  his  client's  action — 
wonder,  dissatisfaction,  and  pride  all  contending  in  his 
countenance  for  mastery.  Before  his  client  was  through, 
pride  conquered,  and  as  Major  Welch  took  his  seat  the  old 
lawyer  leant  forward,  placed  his  hand  on  the  back  of  Major 
Welch's  and  closed  it  firmly.  That  was  all. 

As  Major  Welch  sat  down  Jacquelin  sprang  to  his  feet. 
His  face  was  almost  as  white  as  Major  Welch's. 

"  If  the  Court  please "  lie  began.  But  it  was  in  vain 

that  he  strove  to  speak.  Cheers  for  Major  Welch  were 
ringing,  and  the  Judge,  his  face  livid  with  wrath,  was  rap- 
ping. Jacquelin  was  waving  his  hand  to  quiet  the  crowd. 
"  If  the  Court  please,"  he  repeated,  "  I  wish  to  make  a 
statement." 

"  Sit  down,"  said  the  Judge,  shouting  angrily  to  the 
Sheriff  to  restore  order.  Jacquelin  sat  down,  and  the 
cheers  began  to  subside. 

Leech  and  his  associates  had  been  struck  dumb  with 
astonishment.  They  gazed  on  Still  in  blank  dismay,  and, 
as  Jacquelin  resumed  his  seat,  Leech  leaned  over  and  spoke 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY     469 

to  Still.  Still  sat  motionless,  his  face  ashy,  his  cheeks 
twitching,  his  eyes  dull.  Just  at  that  moment  there  was 
a  crash  outside  close  to  the  window.  A  restive  horse  had 
broken  loose.  There  was  a  shrill  neigh  and  the  sudden 
trample  of  feet  as  he  dashed  away  through  the  darkness. 
Hiram  Still  sank  forward  and  rolled  from  his  chair  in  a 
heap  on  the  floor. 

The  Court  adjourned  for  the  night,  and  the  crowd 
poured  from  the  court-room. 

As  Ruth  and  her  mother  came  out,  the  darkened  green 
was  full  of  groups  of  men  all  eagerly  discussing  the  occur- 
rence and  its  probable  eifect  on  the  case.  Major  Welch's 
name  was  on  every  lip. 

"  Danged  if  I  believe  he's  a  Yankee,  anyway  I"  said  a 
voice  in  the  darkness  as  Ruth  and  Mrs.  Welch  passed  by — 
a  theory  which  gained  this  much  credit :  that  several  ad- 
mitted that,  "  He  certainly  was  more  like  our  people  than 
like  Yankees."  One,  after  reflection,  said  : 

"Well,  maybe  there's  some  of  'em  better  than  them  we 
know  about/' 

The  ladies  passed  on  in  the  darkness. 

Hiram  Still  was  taken  over  to  the  tavern,  and  Dr.  Gary 
worked  over  him  for  hours;  and  later  in  the  night  the 
report  was  current  that  it  was  only  a  fit  he  had  had,  and 
that  he  was  recovering. 

Meantime  Leech  and  Still's  other  counsel  held  a  consul- 
tation, and  after  that  Leech  was  closeted  with  the  Judge  in 
his  room  for  an  hour ;  and  when  he  left,  having  learned 
that  Major  Welch  had  gone  home,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  away  in  the  darkness  in  the  direction  of  Red 
Rock. 

The  next  morning  the  Judge  adjourned  his  court  for  the 
term.  The  illness  of  Still,  the  chief  party  in  the  cause, 
was  the  ground  assigned. 

It  soon  became  known  that  Still  was  not  going  to  give 
up  the  suit.  It  was  authoritatively  announced  by  Leech. 
What  Major  Welch  chose  to  do  had  nothing  to  do  with  Still. 


470  BED    ROCK 

"If  Major  "Welch  was  fool  enough,"  Leech  said,  "to 
turn  tail  at  a  nigger's  lies,  which  he  had  been  bribed  to 
tell,  and  fling  away  a  good  plantation,  it  was  none  of  their 
business.  But  they  were  going  to  fight  and  win  their 
case." 

The  Judge  left  the  County,  and  Still,  having  recovered 
sufficiently,  was  moved  to  his  home. 

The  day  after  the  scene  in  the  court-room  Jacquelin 
Gray,  Steve,  and  the  General  had  a  conference  with  old 
Mr.  Bagby,  and  then  together  they  called  on  Major  Welch. 
They  stated  that,  while  they  appreciated  his  action,  they 
did  not  wish  him  to  take  such  a  step  as  he  had  proposed 
under  the  excitement  of  an  impulse,  and  they  would  pre- 
fer to  bring  the  proof  and  lay  it  before  him  to  establish 
the  facts  they  alleged  as  beyond  question. 

"It  ,was  this  that  I  wished  to  say  last  night,"  said 
Jacquelin  ;  and  then  added  that  he  was  quite  ready  to 
make  the  entry  of  record  at  once  that  the  Major's  holding 
of  the  lands  was  entirely  innocent. 

Major  Welch  heard  his  visitors  through,  then  said  he 
preferred  not  to  wait ;  he  was  quite  satisfied. 

"  It  might  have  been  an  impulse  last  night,  gentlemen, 
but  it  is  not  an  impulse  now.  I  have  reflected  very  deep- 
ly, you  may  be  sure ;  but  I  am  only  confirmed  in  my  inten- 
tion, and  my  act  now  is  that  of  mature  deliberation.  I 
only  wish  to  say  one  thing  more  :  that  if  I  were  capable  of 
holding  on  to  this  land,  my  wife  would  not  permit  me  to 
do  so." 

He  did  not  tell  the  visitors  that,  the  night  before,  he  had 
been  followed  home  by  Leech,  who  had  just  come  from 
an  interview  with  the  Judge,  and  who  urged  him,  on  every 
ground  that  he  could  think  of,  to  reconsider  his  action  and 
retract  his  promise  ;  assured  him  of  the  absolute  certainty 
of  success,  and  gave  him  finally  the  assurance  of  the  Judge 
himself,  who  had  promised  to  dismiss  the  suit  and  enter 
the  decree. 

Nor  did  he  tell  Jacquelin  that  the  interview  with  Leech 


COUNSEL  MAY  ASK  ONE  QUESTION  TOO  MANY      471 

had  come  suddenly  to  an  end  by  his  telling  Leech  of  what 
he  knew  personally,  and  that  he  considered  him  a  proper 
counsel  for  Still,  and  the  Judge  a  proper  judge  for  him  to 
try  his  case  before. 

This  he  did  not  mention,  and  they  did  not  learn  it 
until  long  afterward. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

IN  WHICH  MB.   LEECH   SPRINGS  A  TRAP  WITH  MUCH  SUC- 
CESS 

THE  developments  of  the  trial  decided  Jacquelin  to 
offer  immediately  an  amended  bill,  setting  up  all  the  facts 
that  had  come  out.  Steve  Allen  went  South  to  follow  up 
the  fresh  clew  and  obtain  new  evidence,  and  on  his  return 
it  was  rumored  that  he  had  been  successful.  Meantime 
Still  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  taken  to  a  watering- 
place — for  his  health,  it  was  said — and  Leech  was  engaged 
in  other  parts  of  the  State  looking  after  his  prospective 
canvass  for  the  Governorship.  Leech's  candidacy  and 
the  final  issue  of  the  Red  Rock  case  had  become  closely 
associated.  It  was  charged  that  Leech  had  been  engaged 
with  Still  in  the  attempt  to  perpetrate  a  fraud  ;  and  it  was 
intimated  that,  if  the  Red  Rock  case  should  be  won  by  the 
Grays,  it  would  be  followed  by  the  prosecution  of  Still  and 
possibly  of  Leech.  Captain  Allen's  connection  with  the 
case,  together  with  the  part  he  had  taken  in  public  matters, 
had  brought  him  forward  as  the  leader  of  the  opposition  to 
Leech,  not  only  in  the  County,  but  throughout  the  State. 
Dr.  Still  was  absent,  dutifully  looking  after  his  father, 
and,  rumor  said,  also  looking  after  his  own  prospects  in 
another  field.  Whether  these  reports  were  all  true  or  not, 
the  three  men  were  all  absent  from  the  County,  and  the 
County  breathed  more  freely  by  reason  thereof.  It  was  an 
unquestioned  fact  that  when  they  were  absent,  peace  re- 
turned. 

It  was,  however,  but  the  calm  before  the  storm. 

In  the  interval  that  came,  Jacquelin  once  more  brought 

473 


MB.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A  TRAP  473 

his  suit.  It  was  based  on  the  disclosure  made  at  the  first 
trial,  and  the  bill  was  this  time  against  Still  alone.  Major 
Welch,  as  stated,  had  insisted  on  reconveying  his  part  of 
the  land  to  Jacquelin.  He  said  he  could  not  sleep  with 
that  land  in  his  possession.  So  Jacquelin  and  Rupert  were 
the  owners  of  it,  and  Major  Welch  took  it  on  a  lease. 

The  suit  matured,  and  once  more  the  term  of  court  ap- 
proached. The  people  of  the  County  were  in  better  spirits. 
The  evidence  that  Steve  had  secured  in  the  South  was  be- 
lieved to  fill  the  broken  links.  On  the  decision  depended 
everything.  It  was  recognized  on  both  sides  that  it  was 
not  now  a  mere  property  question,  but  a  fight  for  suprem- 
acy. The  old  citizens  were  making  a  stand  against  the 
new  powers.  There  was  talk  of  Rupert's  coming  home. 
He  had  been  in  the  West  with  Captain  Thurston,  acting 
as  a  volunteer  scout,  and  had  distinguished  himself  for 
his  bravery.  One  particular  act  of  gallantry,  indeed,  had 
attracted  much  attention.  In  a  fight  with  the  Indians,  a 
negro  trooper  belonging  to  one  of  the  companies  had  been 
wounded  and  during  a  check  had  fallen  from  his  horse. 
Rupert  had  heard  his  cries,  and  had  gone  back  under  a 
heavy  fire  and,  lifting  him  on  his  horse,  had  brought  him  off. 
The  first  that  was  heard  of  it  in  the  County  was  through  a 
letter  of  Captain  Thurston's  to  Miss  Welch.  When  Rupert 
was  written  to  about  it,  he  said  he  could  not  let  Steve  and 
Jack  have  all  the  honors  :  "  And  the  fact  is,"  he  added, 
l(  when  I  heard  the  negro  boy  calling,  I  could  not  leave 
him  to  save  my  life." 

Within  a  month  after  the  reinstitution  of  the  suit,  Cap- 
tain Thurston's  company  had  come  back  from  the  West, 
and  there  was  talk  of  efforts  being  made  to  have  the  old 
prosecution  against  Rupert  dismissed.  It  was  reported 
that  he  would  come  home  and  testify  at  the  trial.  Since 
his  memory  had  been  refreshed  he  recollected  perfectly 
the  incident  of  stepping  on  the  paper. 

Rumors  of  what  might  follow  the  trial  were  increasing 
daily.  It  was  even  said  that  Leech  was  trying  to  make  up 


474  RED   ROCK 

with  Governor  Kraf ton,  and  that  negotiations  were  pend- 
ing between  them  by  which  one  of  them  would  become 
Governor  and  the  other  Senator. 

Steve  Allen  asserted  boldly  that  it  was  much  more  likely 
that  one  of  them  would  be  in  the  penitentiary,  unless  the 
other  pardoned  him.  This  speech  was  repeated  to  Leech, 
who  blinked  uneasily.  He  went  North  that  night. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  the  old  County  was  in  better  spir- 
its than  it  had  enjoyed  for  some  time. 

Dr.  Washington  Still's  attentions  to  his  father,  after  the 
father's  "  attack  "  at  the  trial  of  the  Red  Rock  case,  were, 
however,  not  so  filial  as  they  were  reported  to  be.  Had 
the  truth  been  known,  he  was  not  so  attentive  to  his  father's 
interest  as  he  was  to  that  of  another  member  of  the  Still 
family.  While  the  trial  and  its  strange  denouement  had 
affected  the  elder  Still  to  the  point  of  bringing  on  a  slight 
attack  of  paralysis,  it  affected  Dr.  Still  also  very  seriously, 
though  in  a  different  way. 

After  the  entertainment  at  Red  Rock,  Dr.  Still  fancied 
that  he  saw  much  improvement  in  his  chances  with  Miss 
Kraf  ton.  He  had  expected  to  impress  her  with  Red  Rock, 
and  she  had  been  impressed.  The  pictures  had  particu- 
larly struck  her.  He  had  told  her  of  as  many  of  the 
portraits  as  he  could  remember,  inventing  names  and  his- 
tories for  most  of  them.  He  had  not  thought  it  necessary 
to  go  into  any  elaborate  explanation,  consequently  he  had 
not  mentioned  the  fact  that  they  were  the  ancestors  of  the 
man  who  was  suing  for  the  recovery  of  the  place.  Miss 
Krafton  had  heard  of  the  suit  and  referred  to  it  casually. 
Dr.  Still  scouted  the  idea  of  his  title  being  questioned.  His 
grandfather  had  lived  there,  and  his  father  had  been  born 
on  the  place.  He  did  not  mention  the  house  in  which  his 
father  was  born.  He  only  intimated  that  in  some  way 
they  had  been  straitened  in  their  circumstances  before  the 
war,  at  some  period  which  he  made  vaguely  distant ;  and 
he  spoke  of  their  later  success  somewhat  as  of  a  recovery 
of  their  estate.  The  suit,  he  asserted,  had  been  instigated 


ME.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  475 

purely  by  spite.  It  was  simply  one  of  the  customary  at- 
tempts to  annoy  Union  men  and  Northern  settlers — it  was 
really  brought  more  against  Major  Welch  than  his  father. 
Miss  Kraf  ton  had  met  Major  Welch,  and  had  declared  that 
she  adored  him.  Dr.  StilFs  eyes  blinked  complacently. 

Miss  Krafton  was  manifestly  interested,  and  the  Doctor 
after  this  began  to  have  more  hopes  of  his  success  than  he 
had  ever  had.  He  allowed  himself  to  fall  really  in  love 
with  her. 

His  father's  connection  with  the  bonds  of  his  former  em- 
ployer suddenly  threatened  to  overthrow  the  whole  struct- 
ure that  Dr.  Still  was  so  carefully  building.  The  story 
of  the  bonds  was  told,  with  all  its  accessories,  in  such  news- 
papers as  were  conducted  by  the  old  residents ;  and  although 
Miss  Krafton  might  never  have  heard  of  it  from  them,  as 
she  had  never  seen  a  copy  of  such  a  journal  in  her  life, 
the  papers  that  were  on  her  father's  side  undertook  to  an- 
swer the  story.  It  was  an  elaborate  answer — a  complete 
answer — if  true.  It  ought  to  have  been  complete,  for  Dr. 
Washington  Still  inspired  it,  if  he  did  not  write  it.  The 
trouble  was,  it  was  too  complete.  It  was  not  content  with 
answering,  it  attacked  ;  and  it  by  innuendo  attacked  Major 
Welch.  Miss  Krafton  might  not  have  believed  the  story, 
if  it  had  been  confined  to  Mr.  Gray  and  Mr.  Still ;  but 
when  Major  Welch  had  accepted  the  story,  and,  as  was 
stated,  had  even  reconveyed  his  property  to  Mr.  Gray,  it 
was  a  different  matter. 

Miss  Krafton  had  conceived  a  high  opinion  of  Major 
Welch.  He  was  so  different  from  all  others  whom  she  had 
seen  at  the  entertainment  at  Eed  Rock  or  had  met  at  her 
father's  table.  She  knew  of  the  Welches'  high  social  stand- 
ing. She  had  met  Miss  Welch,  and  had  been  delighted 
with  her  also.  The  partial  similarity  of  their  situations 
had  drawn  her  to  Ruth,  and  Ruth's  sweetness  had  charmed 
her.  When  the  story  of  the  Red  Rock  suit  came  out,  Miss 
Kraf  ton's  curiosity  was  aroused.  She  wrote  to  Miss  Welch 
and  asked  her  about  it. 


476  BED   ROCK 

Dr.  Still  had  now  begun  to  press  his  suit  in  earnest.  He 
too  had  schemes  which  a  union  with  Governor  Krafton 
would  further.  Leech  was  becoming  too  constant  a  visitor 
at  the  governor's  mansion  to  suit  the  young  physician,  and 
the  latter  was  planning  to  forestall  him. 

When  Dr.  Still  called  on  Miss  Krafton  next,  after  she 
had  made  her  inquiry  of  Miss  Welch,  as  he  waited  in  her 
drawing-room  his  eye  fell  on  a  letter  lying  open  on  a  table. 
He  thought  he  recognized  the  handwriting  as  that  of  Miss 
Welch  ;  and  as  he  looked  at  it  to  verify  this,  he  caught  the 
name  "  Red  Rock."  He  could  not  resist  the  temptation 
to  read  what  she  had  said,  and,  picking  up  the  letter,  he 
glanced  at  the  first  page.  It  began  with  a  formal  regret 
that  she  could  not  accept  Miss  Kraf  ton's  invitation  to  visit 
her,  and  then  continued  : 

"  As  to  your  request  to  tell  you  the  true  story  of  Mr. 
Hiram  Still's  connection  with  the  Red  Rock  case,  which 

the  papers  have  been  so  full  of,  I  feel "  What  it  was 

that  she  felt,  Dr.  Still  did  not  discover,  for  at  this  point  the 
page  ended,  and  just  then  there  was  a  rustle  of  skirts  out- 
side the  door.  Dr.  Still  replaced  the  letter  only  in  time 
to  turn  and  meet  Miss  Krafton  as  she  entered.  He  had 
never  seen  her  so  handsome  ;  but  there  was  something  in 
her  manner  to  him  which  he  had  never  felt  before.  She 
was  cold,  he  thought — almost  contemptuous.  He  wondered 
if  she  could  have  seen  him  through  the  door  reading  her 
letter.  Partly  to  sound  her  as  to  this,  and  partly  to  meet 
the  statements  which  he  feared  Miss  Welch  had  made,  he 
turned  the  conversation  to  the  Welches.  He  began  to 
praise  them  mildly,  at  the  same  time  speaking  of  their  im- 
practicability and  prejudices,  and  incidentally  hinting  that 
Major  Welch  had  sold  out  to  the  Grays.  To  this  Miss 
Krafton  replied  so  warmly  that  the  young  man  began  to 
try  another  tack.  Miss  Krafton,  however,  did  not  unbend. 
She  launched  out  in  such  eulogy  of  Major  Welch,  of  Mrs. 
Welch,  and  of  Miss  Welch  that  Dr.  Still  was  quite  over- 
whelmed. He  mentioned  the  account  that  had  appeared  in 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS  A  TRAP  477 

her  father's  organ.  Miss  Krafton  declared  that  she  did 
not  believe  a  word  of  it.  Major  Welch  had  stated  that  it 
was  wholly  untrue.  She  asserted  with  spirit,  that  if  she 
were  a  man,  she  would  rather  starve  than  have  a  dollar 
that  was  not  gotten  honestly  ;  and  if  ever  she  married,  it 
would  be  to  a  man  like  Major  Welch.  Her  color  had  risen 
and  her  eyes  were  flashing. 

Dr.  Still  gazed  at  her  in  a  half-dazed  way,  and  a  curi- 
ous expression  came  over  his  face.  It  was  no  time  for  him 
to  push  matters  to  an  extreme. 

Well,  some  women  are  innocent,  he  thought,  as  he  came 
down  the  steps.  And  his  eyes  had  an  ugly  look  in  them. 

When  he  reached  home  his  father  was  waiting  for  him. 
The  young  man  attacked  him  so  furiously  that  he  was 
overwhelmed.  He  began  to  try  to  defend  himself.  He 
had  done  nothing,  he  declared  feebly ;  but  whatever  he 
had  done,  had  been  for  his  sake.  His  voice  was  almost  a 
whimper. 

His  son  broke  out  in  a  fury  : 

"  For  my  sake  !  That's  your  plea  !  And  a  pretty  mess 
you've  made  of  it !  Just  as  I  was  about  to  succeed — to 
make  me  the  talk  of  the  State  ! — to  make  me  appear  the 
son  of  a — thief  !  You've  stood  in  my  way  all  my  life. 
But  for  you,  I  might  have  been  anything.  I  am  ashamed 
of  you — I've  always  been  ashamed  of  you.  But  I  did  not 
think  you'd  have  been  such  a — fool ! "  He  walked  up 
and  down  the  room,  wringing  his  hands  and  clutching  the 
air. 

"Washy — Washy — hear  me/'  pleaded  the  father,  rising 
totteringly  from  his  arm-chair,  and  with  outstretched  hands 
trying  to  follow  his  son. 

Wash  Still  made  a  gesture,  half  of  contempt  and  half  of 
rage,  and  burst  out  of  the  door. 

As  his  son  slammed  the  door  behind  him,  Hiram  Still 
stood  for  a  moment,  turned  unsteadily  to  his  chair,  threw 
up  his  hands,  and,  tottering,  fell  full  length  on  the  floor. 

The  newspaper  of  which  McRaffle  was  one  of  the  editors 


478  BED  -ROCK 

stated  a  day  or  two  later  that  "  our  fellow-citizens  will  be 
glad  to  learn  that  the  honored  Colonel  Hiram  Still  is  rap- 
idly recovering  from  his  paralytic  stroke,  owing  to  the  de- 
voted attentions  and  skill  of  his  son,  the  eminent  young 
physician,  Dr.  Washington  Still,  for  whom  we  are  prepared 
to  predict  a  remarkable  career."  It  "  further  congratulated 
all  honest  men  that  Colonel  Still  would  be  well  in  time  to 
attend  the  trial  of  the  so-called  suit,  instituted  against  him 
by  his  political  enemies,  which  suit,  to  the  editor's  own 
personal  knowledge,  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  mali- 
cious persecution." 

How  much  Dr.  Still  paid  for  this  notice  was  known  only 
to  two  men,  unless  Leech  also  knew ;  for  Leech  and  Mc- 
Raffle  were  becoming  very  intimate. 

It  had  been  supposed  that  Mr.  Hiram  Still's  illness  would 
put  off  the  trial  of  the  Red  Rock  case ;  but  Mr.  Leech, 
who  had  just  returned  from  the  North,  declared  publicly 
that  the  trial  would  come  off  as  already  scheduled,  at  the 
next  term.  He  further  intimated  that  those  who  were  set- 
ting traps  for  him  would  learn  that  he  could  set  a  few 
traps  himself.  This  declaration  set  at  rest  the  fears  that 
had  been  entertained  that  the  Red  Rock  case  would  be 
postponed. 

Leech  made  good  his  word,  and  when  it  was  least  antici- 
pated sprang  the  trap  he  had  prepared.  It  was  a  complete 
surprise  and  almost  a  complete  success  ;  and  when  Leech 
counted  up  his  game,  he  had,  with  a  single  exception, 
bagged  every  man  in  the  County  from  whom  he  had  re- 
ceived an  affront,  or  against  whom  he  cherished  a  grudge. 

One  Sunday  morning,  about  daylight,  as  Jerry  was  re- 
turning to  Brutusville  from  some  nocturnal  excursion, 
when  only  a  mile  or  two  from  the  village,  he  was  startled 
to  come  on  a  body  of  cavalry,  on  the  march.  They 
were  headed  toward  Brutusville,  and  with  them  were 
Colonel  Leech  and  Captain  McRaffle.  A  shrewd  guess 
satisfied  Jerry  that  it  must  mean  some  mischief  to  Captain 
Allen.  Curiosity  and  interest  prompted  him  to  fall  in 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS    A  TRAP  479 

with  them ;  but  the  men  he  addressed  knew  nothing, 
and  were  grumbling  at  having  to  take  a  long  night-ride. 
Jerry  pressed  on  to  the  head  of  the  column,  where  he 
saw  Leech.  He  touched  his  hat,  and  passed  on  as  if  he 
were  in  a  great  hurry.  Leech,  however,  called  him,  and 
began  to  question  him,  but  soon  discovered  that  he  was 
drunk  —  too  drunk  to  be  wholly  intelligent,  but,  fortu- 
nately, sober  enough  to  give  a  good  deal  of  valuable  infor- 
mation. Leech  gathered'  from  him  that  no  one  had  the 
slightest  idea  that  troops  were  coming  to  Brutusville,  un- 
less Captain  Allen  had.  The  Captain,  Jerry  said,  had  left 
Brutusville  the  evening  before,  and  had  gone  to  a  friend's 
in  the  upper  end  of  the  County  to  spend  Sunday.  Jerry 
knew  this,  because  the  Captain  had  told  him  to  meet  him 
there  with  his  horse  in  time  for  church  ;  but  Jerry  was  not 
going.  He  "  had  had  enough  of  that  man,"  he  said.  He 
was  not  going  to  work  for  him  any  more.  The  Captain 
had  threatened  to  beat  him.  Here  Jerry,  at  the  memory 
of  his  wrongs,  fell  into  a  consuming  rage,  and  cursed  Cap- 
tain Allen  so  heartily  that  he  almost  propitiated  Leech. 
It  was  a  matter  of  regret  to  Leech  that  Steve  Allen  was 
not  in  Brutusville,  and  so  could  not  be  arrested  at  once. 
This,  however,  could  be  remedied  if  a  part  of  the  company 
were  detailed  to  catch  him  before  he  learned  of  their  arri- 
val. Leech  would  himself  go  with  the  men  who  were  to 
undertake  this.  He  wished  to  be  present,  or  almost  so, 
when  Captain  Allen  was  arrested.  He  would  have  taken 
Jerry  with  him,  but  Jerry  was  suddenly  so  drunk  that  he 
could  hardly  stand.  So,  having  directed  that  the  negro 
should  not  be  allowed  to  go  until  after  all  the  contem- 
plated arrests  had  been  made,  Colonel  Leech,  with  a  pla- 
toon, took  a  road  that  led  to  the  place  where,  according  to 
Jerry,  he  should  find  Captain  Allen  preparing  to  attend 
church. 

It  was  just  daybreak  when  the  remainder  of  the  company 
reached  the  outskirts  of  the  county  seat,  and,  in  accordance 
with  the  instructions  that  had  been  received,  began  to  post 


480  RED   ROCK 

pickets  to  surround  the  village.  This  was  done  under  the 
immediate  supervision  of  Captain  McRaffle.  Jerry  re- 
mained with  one  of  the  pickets.  The  morning  air  appeared 
to  have  revived  him  astonishingly,  and  in  a  little  while  he 
had  ingratiated  himself  with  the  picket  by  telling  a  num- 
ber of  funny  stories  of  Leech,  who  did  not  appear  to  be  at 
all  popular  with  the  men.  He  presently  insinuated  that 
he  knew  where  the  best  whiskey  in  town  was  to  be  secured, 
and  offered  to  go  and  get  some  for  the  picket  before  the 
officers  took  possession.  He  could  slip  in  and  come  right 
out  again  without  anyone  knowing  it.  On  this,  and  with 
a  threat  of  what  would  be  done  to  him  if  he  failed  to  return, 
he  was  allowed  by  the  picket  to  go  in.  He  started  off  like 
a  deer.  It  was  surprising  how  straight  he  could  go  when 
he  moved  rapidly  ! 

As  soon  as  he  reached  the  village  he  struck  straight  for 
the  court-green.  Jacquelin  had  spent  the  night  at  the 
court-house  with  Steve,  and  was  about  to  start  for  home  in 
the  first  light  of  the  morning,  and,  just  as  Jerry  flung  him- 
self over  the  fence,  Jacquelin  came  down  from  the  rooms 
that  he  and  Steve  occupied.  Jerry  rushed  up  to  him  and 
began  to  tell  him  the  story  of  Leech's  return  with  the  sol- 
diers. He  had  come  to  arrest  the  Captain,  Jerry  declared. 

At  first  Jacquelin  thought  that  Jerry  was  merely  drunk  ; 
but  his  anxiety  on  Captain  Allen's  account,  and  the  clever- 
ness of  his  ruse  by  which  he  had  outwitted  Leech,  satisfied 
him  ;  and  Jerry's  account  of  Leech's  eagerness  (for  he  did 
not  stick  at  telling  the  most  egregious  lies  as  to  what 
Leech  had  told  him)  aroused  Jacquelin's  anxiety  for  Steve. 
Jacquelin^  therefore,  took  instant  alarm  and  sent  Jerry  to 
saddle  Steve's  horse,  while  he  himself  hurried  back  to 
Steve's  room  and  roused  him  out  of  bed.  At  first,  Steve 
was  wholly  incredulous.  Jerry  was  just  drunk,  he  declared, 
sleepily.  But  when  Jerry  appeared,  though  certainly  he 
was  not  sober,  he  told  a  story  which  made  Steve  grave 
enough.  The  whole  expedition  was,  according  to  his  ac- 
count, to  capture  Steve.  Leech  and  Captain  McRaffle  and 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS  A  TRAP  481 

the  captain  of  the  troop  had  all  said  so.  Steve's  horse  was 
saddled  at  the  door.  Steve  still  demurred.  He'd  be  con- 
demned if  he'd  run  away  ;  he'd  stay,  and,  if  what  Jerry  said 
was  true,  would  settle  with  Leech,  the  whole  score  then 
and  there.  He  went  hack  into  his  room  and  put  his  pistol 
in  his  pocket.  This  Jacquelin  declared  was  madness.  It 
would  only  bring  down  vengeance  on  the  whole  County. 
What  could  Steve  do  against  Government  troops  ?  Jerry 
added  another  argument :  "  Colonel  Leech  ain'  gwine  to 
meet  him.  He  done  gone  off  with  some  other  soldiers," 
he  asserted. 

Steve  turned  to  Jacquelin.  "  How  can  I  leave  you, 
Jack  ?  I'm  not  a  dog." 

"  Why,  what  can  they  do  with  me  ?"  laughed  Jacquelin. 
t(  They  are  after  you  about  the  Ku  Klux,  and  I  was  not 
even  in  the  country."  He  was  still  hurrying  him. 

Thus  urged,  Steve  consented  to  go,  and  mounting  his 
horse  rode  out  a  back  way.  To  his  surprise,  he  found  the 
lane  already  picketed.  He  turned  to  take  another  road. 
As  he  wheeled  into  it  he  saw  a  squadron  of  troops  at  either 
end  riding  into  the  village  toward  him.  He  was  shut  in 
between  them,  with  a  high  fence  on  either  side.  The  only 
chance  of  escaping  was  across  the  fields.  He  acted  quickly. 
Breasting  his  horse  at  the  fence,  he  cleared  it,  and,  dashing 
across  the  court-green,  cleared  that  on  the  other  side,  and 
so  made  his  way  out  of  the  village,  taking  the  fences  as  he 
came  to  them. 

Ten  minutes  later  Jacquelin  was  arrested  on  a  warrant 
sworn  out  before  McRaffle  as  a  commissioner  of  the  court, 
and  so,  during  the  morning,  was  nearly  every  other  man 
in  the  village. 

Jacquelin  no  sooner  looked  at  Leech,  than  he  knew  that 
it  was  not  only  Steve  that  he  had  come  for.  As  Leech 
gazed  on  him  his  eyes  watered,  if  his  mouth  did  not ;  and 
he  spoke  in  a  sympathetic  whine. 

Dr.  Gary  heard  of  the  raid  and  of  the  arrest  of  his  friends 
that  morning  as  he  came  home  from  Miss  Bush's  sick  bed- 
31 


482  RED   KOCK 

side,  by  which  he  had  spent  the  night.  He  was  tired  and 
fagged ;  but  he  said  he  must  go  down  to  the  court-house 
and  see  about  the  matter.  Mrs.  Gary  and  Blair  tried  to 
dissuade  him.  He  needed  rest,  they  urged.  And,  indeed, 
he  looked  it.  His  face  was  worn,  and  his  eyes  glowed 
deep  under  his  brows. 

"My  dear,  I  must  go.  I  hear  they  have  made  a  clean 
sweep,  and  arrested  nearly  every  man  in  the  place." 

"  They  may  arrest  you,  if  you  go." 

"  They  cannot  possibly  have  anything  against  me,"  he 
said.  "  But  if  they  should,  it  would  make  no  difference. 
I  must  go  and  see  about  my  friends."  The  ladies  ad- 
mitted this. 

So  he  »rode  off.  Mrs.  Gary  and  Blair  looked  wistfully 
after  him  as  he  passed  slowly  down  the  road  through  the 
apple-trees.  He  rode  more  slowly  now  than  he  used  to  do, 
and  not  so  erect  in  the  saddle. 

He  was  about  half-way  to  the  village  when  he  met  Andy 
Stamper  riding  hard,  who  stopped  to  give  him  the  news. 
They  had  arrested  nearly  every  man  in  the  village,  Andy 
said,  and  were  now  sending  out  parties  to  make  arrests  in 
the  country.  General  Legaie,  and  Jacquelin  Gray,  and 
Mr.  Dockett,  and  even  Mr.  Langstaff  had  been  arrested. 
Leech  had  come  with  them,  and  the  prisoners  were  being 
taken  up  to  Leech's  house,  where  they  were  to  be  tried  be- 
fore McRaffle,  the  commissioner.  Captain  Steve  had  got 
away,  and  had  tried  to  meet  Leech ;  but  Leech  was  too 
smart  for  that. 

"  And  they  are  after  you  and  me  too,  Doctor,"  said 
Andy.  "  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

Dr.  Gary  told  him.  Andy  tried  to  dissuade  him.  "What's 
the  use  ?  You  can't  do  any  good.  They'll  just  arrest  you 
too.  My  wife  made  me  come  away.  I  tell  you,  Doctor, 
it's  worse  than  the  war,"  said  Andy.  "  I  never  would 
have  surrendered,  if  I'd  thought  it  ud  'a  come  to  this.'' 
There  was  a  sudden  flash  of  wrath  in  his  blue  eyes.  "  I've 
often  been  tempted  to  git  even  with  that  Still  and  that 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  483 

Leech,  and  Fve  shut  my  ears  and  turned  away  ;  but  if  I'd 
known  't  'ud  come  to  this,  d — d  if  I  wouldn't  have  done 
it!" 

Dr.  Gary  soothed  him  with  his  calm  assurance,  and  as 
the  Doctor  started  to  go,  Andy  turned. 

"  If  you're  goin',  I'm  goin'  with  you,"  he  said.  "  But 
first  I  must  go  by  and  tell  Delia  Dove." 

The  Doctor  tried  to  assure  him  that  it  was  not  necessary 
for  him  to  surrender  himself  ;  but  Andy  was  firm.  "  It 
might  have  been  all  right,"  he  said,  if  he  had  not  met  the 
Doctor;  but  Delia  Dove  would  never  forgive  him  if  he  let 
the  Doctor  go  into  a  trouble  by  himself  and  he  stayed  out 
— 'twould  be  too  much  like  running  away.  "  I  tell  you, 
Doctor,"  said  Andy,  "  if  Delia  Dove  had  been  where  I  was, 
she'd  never  'a  surrendered.  If  there'd  been  her  and  a  few 
more  like  her,  there  wouldn't  'a  been  any  surrender." 

The  Doctor  smiled,  and,  leaving  him  to  go  by  and  make 
his  peace  with  Mrs.  Stamper,  rode  slowly  on  to  town. 

He  found  the  roads  picketed  as  in  time  of  war  ;  but  the 
pickets  let  him  through.  He  had  scarcely  entered  the  vil- 
lage when  he  met  Leech.  He  was  bustling  about  with  a 
bundle  of  books  under  his  thin  arm.  The  Doctor  greeted 
him  coldly,  and  Leech  returned  the  greeting  almost  warmly. 
He  was  really  pleased  to  see  the  Doctor. 

The  Doctor  expressed  his  astonishment  and  indignation 
at  the  step  that  had  been  taken.  Leech  was  deprecatory. 

tf  I  have  heard  that  I  am  wanted  also,  Colonel  Leech," 
said  the  Doctor,  calmly.  "  I  am  present  to  answer  any 
charge  that  can  be  brought  against  me." 

Leech  smiled  almost  sadly.  He  had  no  doubt  in  the 
world  that  the  Doctor  could  do  so.  Eeally,  he  himself 
had  very  little  knowledge  of  the  matter,  and  none  at  all  as 
to  the  Doctor's  case.  The  Doctor  could  probably  find  out 
by  applying  to  the  officer  in  command.  He  passed  on, 
leaving  the  old  gentleman  in  doubt  if  he  could  know  what 
was  going  on.  Within  ten  minutes  Dr.  Gary  was  arrested 
by  an  officer  accompanied  by  a  file  of  soldiers.  When  he 


484  RED   ROCK 

reached  Leech's  house,  he  found  more  of  his  old  friends 
assembled  there  than  he  could  have  found  anywhere  else  in 
the  County  that  day.  It  was  with  mingled  feelings  that 
they  met  each  other.  In  one  way  they  were  deeply  in- 
censed ;  in  another,  it  was  so  grotesque  that  they  were 
amused  as  one  after  another  they  were  brought  in,  with- 
out the  slightest  idea  of  the  cause  of  their  arrest. 

However,  it  soon  ceased  to  be  matter  for  hilarity.  The 
soldiers  who  were  their  guards  were  simply  coldly  indiffer- 
ent, and  ordered  them  about  as  they  would  have  done  any 
other  criminals.  But  Leech  was  feline.  He  oozed  with 
satisfaction  and  complacency.  Andy  Stamper  was  one  of 
the  last  to  appear,  and  when  he  was  brought  in  he  was  a 
sorry  sight.  He  had  not  been  given  the  privilege  of  surren- 
dering himself.  As  he  was  taking  leave  of  his  wife  a  posse 
had  appeared,  with  Perdue  the  jailer  at  their  head,  with  a 
warrant  for  him.  Andy  had  insisted  that  he  would  go  and 
surrender  himself,  but  would  not  be  arrested.  A  fight 
had  ensued,  in  which  though,  as  Perdue's  broken  head 
testified,  Andy  had  borne  himself  valorously.  Andy  had 
been  overpowered ;  and  he  was  brought  to  jail,  fastened  on 
his  mule,  with  a  trace-chain  about  his  body  and  a  bag 
over  his  head.  The  prisoners  were  first  marched  to  Leech's 
big  house,  and  were  called  out  one  by  one  and  taken  into  a 
wing  room,  where  they  were  arraigned  before  McRaffle,  as 
a  commissioner,  on  the  charge  of  treason  and  rebellion. 
The  specific  act  was  the  attack  on  the  jail  that  night.  The 
witnesses  were  the  jailer,  Perdue ;  a  negro  who  had  been  in 
the  jail  that  night,  and  Bushman,  the  man  whom  Steve  Al- 
len had  ordered  out  of  the  ranks  for  insubordination  and 
threats  against  the  prisoners.  Leech  himself  was  present, 
and  was  the  inspiration  and  director  of  each  prosecution. 
He  sat  beside  the  Commissioner  and  instructed  him  in 
every  case.  Toward  Jacquelin  he  was  particularly  atten- 
tive. He  purred  around  him. 

When  Dr.  Cary's  turn  came,  neither  he  nor  anyone  else 
had  any  doubt  that  he  would  be  at  once  discharged.  He 


ME.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A  TRAP  485 

was  one  of  the  last  to  be  called.  He  had  taken  no  part 
whatever  in  the  attack  on  the  jail ;  all  that  he  had  done  had 
been  to  try  and  dissuade  from  it  those  who  made  the  assault, 
and,  failing  in  that,  he  had  waited,  in  case  anyone  should  be 
injured,  to  render  what  professional  aid  might  be  necessary. 
When  he  was  brought  before  Leech  he  was  sensible  at  once 
of  some  sort  of  change  in  the  man.  Always  somewhat  fur- 
tive in  his  manner,  the  carpet-bagger  now  had  something 
feline  about  him.  He  had  evidently  prepared  to  act  a  part. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  long  black  coat,  with  a  white  tie 
which  gave  him  a  quasi-clerical  touch,  and  his  expression 
had  taken  on  a  sympathetic  regretfulness.  A  light  almost 
tender,  if  it  had  not  been  so  joyous,  beamed  from  his  mild 
blue  eyes,  and  when  he  spoke  his  voice  had  a  singular  whine 
of  apparent  self-abnegation.  The  Doctor  was  instantly 
conscious  of  the  change  in  him. 

"  The  tiger  is  loose  in  this  man,"  he  said  to  himself. 
Leech  called  the  Commissioner's  attention  to  the  Doctor's 
presence,  and  greeted  him  sadly.  The  Doctor  acknowl- 
edged the  salute  gravely,  and  stated  to  the  Commissioner 
his  views  as  to  the  error  that  had  led  to  his  arrest.  Before 
he  was  through,  however,  he  was  addressing  Leech.  A 
glint  shone  in  Leech's  eyes  for  a  second. 

"Yes,  it  would  seem  so/'  he  said,  reflectively,  with  a 
slight  twang  in  his  voice.  "  I  should  think  that  all  that 
would  be  necessary  would  be  for  you  to  mention  it  to  the 
Court."  He  looked  at  the  Commissioner  as  if  for  cor- 
roboratiou.  McRaffle's  sallow  face  actually  flushed ;  but 
he  kept  his  eyes  on  his  paper. 

"  Why,  you  are  the  real  power,"  said  the  Doctor  ;  "  you 
are  the  one  who  has  authority." 

Leech  smiled  almost  wanly. 

"  Oh,  no,  my  dear  sir,  you  do  me  too  much  honor. 
I  am  but  the  humble  instrument  of  the  law.  I  bind  and 
loose  only  as  it  is  given  me,  my  dear  sir."  His  voice  had 
grown  more  nasal  and  his  blue  eyes  beamed.  He  laid  his 
hand  tenderly  on  the  Doctor's  shoulder  and  smiled  half- 


486  BED   KOCR 

sadly.     The  Doctor  moved  a  step  farther  off,  his  thin  nos- 
trils quivering  slightly. 

"Very  well.  I  am  not  afraid.  Only  don't  my-dear-sir 
me,  if  you  please.  I  shall  state  frankly  all  I  know  about 
the  matter,  and  expect  to  be  discharged  now  and  at  once." 

"  Yes,  that's  right.  No  doubt  of  it.  I  shall  be  glad  to 
do  what  I  can  to  further  your  wishes.  I  will  speak  to  the 
Commissioner."  He  smiled  blandly. 

He  did  so,  holding  a  long  whispered  conversation  with 
McRaffle,  and  the  Doctor's  case  was  taken  up.  The  Doctor 
made  his  statement,  and  made  it  fully  and  frankly,  and 
it  was  taken  down.  When,  however,  it  was  finished,  he 
was  not  discharged.  He  was  asked  to  give  the  names  of 
those  who  were  in  the  crowd  that  night,  and  refused. 
Leech  approached,  and  tenderly  and  solicitously  urged 
him  to  do  so.  "  My  dear  sir,  don't  you  see  how  impossible 
it  will  be  for  me  to  assist  you  if  you  persist  in  what  is 
really  a  contempt  of  court  ?  " 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  would  tell  you  to  save  my  life  ? " 
said  Dr.  Gary. 

Leech  shook  his  head  sadly.     He  was  really  grieved. 

' '  Perhaps  your  Commissioner  might  supply  you  names," 
snapped  General  Legaie.  McRaffle  looked  up  at  him  and 
tried  to  face  his  gaze  ;  but  it  was  in  vain.  His  eyes  dropped 
before  the  General's  withering  scorn. 

The  Doctor  was  held  "on  his  own  confession,"  the  com- 
missioner said.  Old  Mr.  Langstaif  was  sent  on  in  the 
same  way ;  and  by  nightfall  the  entire  party  were  in  jail, 
sent  on  to  the  next  term  of  the  court  to  be  held  at  the 
capital. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  prisoners  were 
conducted  to  prison.  Leech  himself  headed  the  proces- 
sion, walking  with  impressive  solemnity  a  little  in  advance 
of  the  guard.  Quite  a  large  crowd  had  assembled,  mostly 
negroes  ;  though  there  were  some  white  men  on  the  edges, 
looking  on  with  grim  faces  and  glowing  eyes,  their  hats 
drawn  down  and  their  speech  low,  hardly  articulate  mut- 


ME.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  487 

terings.  All  day  long,  since  the  news  of  the  arrival  of 
the  soldiery  and  their  work,  the  negroes  had  been  coming 
into  the  village,  and  they  now  lined  the  roadside  and 
packed  the  court-green  near  the  jail.  As  the  procession 
made  its  way  they  followed  it  with  shouts  of  derision. 
"  Awe,  my  Lawd  !  Ef  dee  ain  gwine  put  'em  into  de 
jail !  "  cried  out  a  young  slattern,  shrilly  ;  at  which  there 
was  a  shout  of  laughter. 

"  Amy,  come  heah,  and  look  at  dis  one,"  shrieked  an- 
other. "  Look  at  dat  ole  one.  Don't  I  hope  dee'll  hang 
de  ole  deble  ! " 

"  Shut  your  mouth,  you  black  huzzy,"  said  a  tall  old 
negro,  sternly,  in  solemn  rebuke.  The  girl  gave  a  shrill, 
nervous  laugh,  and,  pulling  her  friend  by  the  hand,  pushed 
her  way  nearer  the  prisoners. 

"  Dese  heah  young  gals  is  too  free  wid  dee  mouis  !  " 
complained  another  old  negro  to  the  taller  one.  Old 
Tarquin  vouchsafed  no  answer.  His  burning  eyes  were 
fastened  on  his  master's  tall  form  as  the  Doctor  marched 
to  the  black  door  before  him. 

On  the  edge  of  the  throng,  though  sufficiently  dis- 
guised not  to  be  recognized  casually,  was  another  form, 
also  with  burning  eyes,  which  were,  however,  fastened  not 
on  Dr.  Gary,  but  on  Colonel  Leech.  Steve  Allen  had 
come  back  that  day,  determined  if  he  met  Leech  to  offer 
him  a  pistol  and  settle  the  questions  between  them,  on  the 
spot. 

As  Dr.  Gary  passed  into  the  jail,  he  involuntarily  stooped. 
As  the  heavy  door  closed  behind  the  prisoners,  there  was 
such  a  wild  shout  of  triumph  from  the  ragged  crowd  that 
surged  about  the  space  outside  that  the  dull,  indifferent 
soldiers  in  line  before  the  door  looked  up  and  scowled, 
with  side  glances  and  muttered  speeches  to  each  other ; 
while  on  the  outskirts  the  white  men  gathered  together 
in  groups  and  talked  in  low  tones,  their  faces  dark  with 
impotent  rage,  but  none  the  less  dangerous  because  they, 
too,  were  bound  by  shackles. 


488  KED   KOOK 

Excitement  was  hardly  the  name  for  the  extraordinary 
sensation  the  arrests  had  caused.  It  was  a  bolt  from  a  clear 
sky.  By  some  curious  law,  whenever  a  step  was  taken 
against  the  whites  the  negroes  became  excited  ;  and  the 
arrest  of  so  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  County  had 
thrown  them  into  a  condition  of  the  wildest  commotion. 
They  came  flocking  into  the  village,  forming  and  march- 
ing in  a  sort  of  order,  with  shouts  and  yells  of  triumph. 
They  held  meetings  about  the  court-green,  preached  and 
prayed  and  sang  hymns,  shouting  derisively  about  the 
jail,  and  yelling  insults  against  the  whites.  Had  anyone 
seen  the  throng,  he  would  never  have  believed  that  the  wild 
mob  that  hooted  and  yelled  about  the  village  were  the 
quiet,  orderly,  and  amiable  people  who  but  the  day  before 
tilled  the  fields  or  laughed  about  their  cabins.  It  needed 
all  the  power  of  the  troops  stationed  at  the  court-house  to 
restrain  them. 

It,  however,  was  not  only  the  negroes  who  were  excited. 
The  news  had  spread  rapidly.  The  whites  also  were 
aroused,  and  men  from  every  direction  were  riding  toward 
the  county  seat,  their  faces  stern  and  grim.  By  nightfall 
the  village  was  overflowing,  and  they  were  still  arriving. 
As  always,  their  presence  awed  and  quieted  the  negroes. 
Many  of  them  stopped  outside  the  town.  The  presence  of 
regular  soldiers  meant  the  presence  of  a  force  they  were 
compelled  to  recognize.  The  two  words  heard  were  "  the 
Government "  and  ' '  Leech."  Suddenly  the  two  had  become 
one.  Leech  was  the  Government,  and  the  Government  was 
Leech  :  no  longer  merely  the  State — the  Carpet-bag  Gov- 
ernment— but  the  Government.  He  represented  and  was 
represented  by  the  blue-coated,  silent,  impassive  men  who 
were  quartered  in  the  court-house  and  moved  indiffer- 
ently among  the  citizens — disliked,  but  careless  whether  it 
were  so  or  not.  The  carpet-bagger  had  suddenly  ceased  to 
be  a  mere  individual — he  had  become  a  power.  For  the 
first  time  he  was  not  only  hated,  but  feared.  Men  who  had 
braved  his  militia,  which  had  outnumbered  them  twenty  to 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  489 

one,  who  had  outscowled  him  face  to  face  a  hundred  times, 
now  glanced  at  him  furtively  and  sank  their  voices  as  he 
passed.  Leech  was  quick  to  note  the  difference,  and  his 
heart  swelled  with  pride.  He  walked  backward  and  for- 
ward through  the  throng  many  times,  his  long  coat  napping 
behind  him,  his  mild  eyes  peering  through  his  spectacles, 
his  wan  smile  flickering  about  his  mouth,  his  book,  "  The 
Statutes  of  the  United  States,"  clasped  under  his  arm,  his 
brow  bent  as  if  in  meditation.  He  felt  that  he  was  feared, 
and  it  was  unction  to  his  spirit.  He  had  bided  his  time  and 
had  triumphed.  Waiting  till  they  least  expected  it,  he 
had  at  one  blow  struck  down  every  enemy.  He,  Jonadab 
Leech,  had  done  it ;  and  they  were  under  his  feet.  They 
knew  it,  and  they  feared  him.  He  meant  them  to  know  it 
and  fear  him.  For  this  reason  he  had  sat  by  the  Commis- 
sioner all  day  and  instructed  him  ;  for  this  reason  he  had 
led  the  march  to  the  jail. 

But  had  he  struck  all  down  ?  No.  One  had  escaped. 
At  the  thought,  Leech's  smile  died  away,  and  a  dark, 
threatening  look  took  its  place,  His  chief  enemy,  the  one 
he  most  hated  and  feared,  had  escaped.  Those  he  had 
caught  were  well  enough,  but  it  was  Steve  Allen  whom  he 
was  after  chiefly — Steve  Allen,  who  had  scouted  and 
braved  and  defied  him  so  often,  who  had  derided  him  and 
thwarted  him  and  stung  him.  He  had  planned  the  whole 
affair  mainly  for  Steve,  and  now  the  enemy  had  slipped 
through  his  fingers.  It  turned  all  the  rest  of  his  success 
into  failure.  His  triumph  changed  to  dust  and  ashes  on 
his  lips.  He  was  enraged.  He  would  catch  him.  One 
moment  he  denounced  his  escape  as  treachery,  the  next 
he  boasted  that  he  would  find  him  and  bring  him  in  alive 
or  dead.  A  rumor  came  to  him  that  night  that  Captain 
Allen  was  not  far  off.  Indeed,  he  was  not,  but  Leech 
slept  at  the  hotel,  guarded  by  soldiers. 

Leech  headed,  next  day,  a  squad — not  a  small  one 
— and  visited  every  house  in  the  neighborhood  that  Steve 
frequented,  searching  the  houses  and  proclaiming  his  de- 


490  RED   ROCK 

termination  to  have  him,  alive  or  dead.  He  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  searching  once  more  the  cottage  where  Miss 
Thomasia  lived.  Miss  Thomasia  received  him  at  the  door. 
She  was  white  with  apprehension  and  indignation.  Her 
apprehension,  however,  was  not  for  herself,  but  for  Steve, 
who  had  only  just  ridden  over  the  hill,  and  who  had 
left  a  message  for  Leech  that  he  was  looking  for  him, 
too.  Leech  assured  her  sympathetically  that  she  need  not 
be  disturbed.  He  had  to  do  his  duty — a  painful  duty,  but 
it  was  necessary  to  execute  the  law.  "  '  They  who  take  the 
sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword/"  he  said,  with  a  mourn- 
ful smile  and  a  shake  of  the  head,  and  a  side  look  at  Miss 
Thomasia. 

"  Yes,  I  have  heard  that,  and  I  commend  it  to  you,  sir," 
Miss  Thomasia  declared,  with  unexpected  spirit.  "  God 
is  the  avenger  of  the  guiltless,  and  He  sometimes  employs 
those  who  are  persecuted  as  His  instruments." 

Leech  left  there  and  went  to  Dr.  Gary's.  Here,  too, 
however,  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  Mrs.  Gary 
and  Miss  Blair  had  gone  down  to  the  court-house  to  look 
after  the  Doctor,  and  the  family  was  represented  by 
Mammy  Krenda,  whose  dark  looks  and  hostile  attitude  im- 
plied too  much  for  Leech  to  try  her.  He  contented  him- 
self with  announcing  to  her  that  he  was  hunting  for  Steve 
Allen,  and  had  a  warrant  for  his  arrest. 

"  Yes,  I  heah  you'  huntin'  for  him,"  said  the  old  woman, 
quietly.  "Well,  you  better  mine  some  day  he  don't  go 
huntin'  for  you.  When  he  ready,  I  reckon  you'll  fine 
him." 

"  I  mean  to  have  him,  alive  or  dead,"  said  Leech.  "  It 
don't  make  any  difference  to  me,"  he  laughed. 

"  No,  I  heah  say  you  say  dat,"  replied  the  old  woman, 
placidly.  "  Well,  'twould  meek  right  smart  difference  to 
him,  I  spec' ;  an'  when  you  push  folks  dat  fur,  you'se  got 
to  have  mighty  sho  stan'in'  place." 

This  piece  of  philosophy  did  not  strike  home  to  Leech 
at  the  time ;  but  a  little  later  it  came  back  to  him,  and  re- 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS    A   TRAP  491 

mained  with  him  so  much  that  it  worried  him.  He  re- 
turned to  the  court-house  without  having  accomplished 
his  mission.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  the  old  woman 
knew  where  Captain  Allen  had  gone  ;  but  he  had  too  vivid 
a  recollection  of  his  last  contest  with  her  to  try  her  again. 
On  his  arrival  at  the  court-house  that  evening,  however, 
he  found  that  Tarquin  was  there,  having  accompanied 
his  mistresses,  and  he  sent  a  file  of  soldiers  to  bring  the 
old  man  before  him.  When  Tarquin  was  brought  in,  he 
looked  so  stately  and  showed  so  much  dignity  that  Lee6h 
for  a  moment  had  a  feeling  that,  perhaps,  he  had  made  a 
mistake.  McRaffle  was  present,  sitting  with  that  inscrut- 
able look  on  his  dark  face.  The  Commissioner  had  already 
gained  a  reputation  for  as  much  severity  in  his  new  office 
as  rumor  had  connected  with  his  name  in  a  less  authorized 
capacity.  And  Leech  had  expected  the  old  servant  to  be 
frightened.  Instead,  his  head  was  so  erect  and  his  mouth 
so  calm  that  Leech  instinctively  thought  of  Dr.  Gary. 

However,  he  began  to  question  the  old  servant.  He 
stated  that  he  knew  where  Captain  Allen  was,  and  that 
Tarquin  had  just  as  well  tell.  He  did  not  wish  to  be 
severe  with  him,  he  said,  but  it  was  his  duty,  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Government,  to  ascertain  ;  and  while  on 
one  side  was  the  penalty  of  the  law,  on  the  other  was  a 
high  reward.  The  old  fellow  listened  so  silently  that 
Leech,  as  he  proceeded,  began  to  think  he  had  made  an 
impression,  and  a  gleam  of  satisfaction  lit  up  his  eyes. 
When  he  was  through,  there  was  an  expression  very  like 
scorn  on  old  Tarquin's  face. 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  is,  Colonel  Leech,"  he  said. 
"  But  do  you  suppose  I  would  tell  you  if  I  did  ?  If  I 
betrayed  a  gentleman,  I  couldn'  look  my  master  in  the 
face."  Leech  was  taken  aback.' 

"  Here,  that's  all  nonsense,"  he  snarled.  "  I'm  the 
Government,  and  I'll  make  you  tell."  But  Tarquin  was 
unmoved. 

"  You    can't  terrify  me    with  your    threats,    Colonel 


492  RED   ROCK 

Leech,"  he  said,  calmly.  "I  served  with  my  master 
through  the  war." 

"If  you  don't  tell,  Fll  send  you  to  jail ;  that's  what  Til 
do." 

"  You  have  already  sent  better  gentlemen  there,"  said 
the  old  servant,  quietly,  and  with  a  dignity  that  floored  the 
other  completely.  Leech  remembered  suddenly  Hiram 
Still's  warning  to  him  long  ago,  ' ( With  these  quality  nig- 
gers, you  can't  do  nothin'  that  way." 

*He  suddenly  tried  another  course,  and  began  to  argue 
with  Tarquin.  It  was  his  duty  to  the  Government  which 
had  set  him  free,  and  would  pay  handsomely.  Tarquin 
met  him  again. 

"  Colonel  Leech,  my  master  offered  me  my  freedom 
before  the  war,  and  I  wouldn't  take  it.  You  may  get 
some  poor  creatures  to  betray  with  such  a  bribe,  but  no 
gentleman  will  sell  himself."  He  bowed.  Leech  could 
not  help  enjoying  the  scowl  that  came  on  McRaffie's  face. 
But  the  old  man  was  oblivious  of  it. 

"  I  have  voted  with  the  Government  since  we  were  free, 
because  I  thought  it  my  duty ;  but  I  tell  you  now,  suh, 
what  you  are  doin'  to-day  will  hurt  you  mo'  than  'twill 
help  you.  What  you  sow,  you've  got  to  reap." 

"  Ah,  pshaw  ! "  sneered  Leech,  "  I  don't  believe  you 
know  where  Captain  Allen  is  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  I  did  not,"  said  the  old  man,  with  unruffled 
dignity. 

Leech  saw  that  it  was  useless  to  try  him  further  in  that 
direction,  and,  thinking  that  he  might  have  gone  too  far, 
he  took  out  his  pocket-book. 

"  Here  ;  I  was  just  testing  you,"  he  said,  with  a  well- 
feigned  smile.  He  extracted  a  dollar  note  and  held  it  out. 

"  Nor,  suh  ;  I  don't  want  your  money,"  said  Tarquin, 
calmly.  He  bowed  coldly,  and,  turning  slowly,  walked  out. 

Leech  sat  for  some  time  in  deep  reflection.  He  was  won- 
dering what  the  secret  was  that  controlled  these  people 
without  threats  or  bribery.  Here  he  was,  almost  on  the 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  493 

point  of  attaining  his  highest  ambition,  and  he  was  be- 
ginning to  find  that  he  was  afraid  of  the  instruments  he 
employed.  He  had  never  seen  a  negro  insolent  to  one  of 
the  old  residents  except  under  the  instigation  of  himself 
or  someone  else  like  him,  and  yet  to  him  they  were  so  in- 
solent that  at  times  even  he  could  hardly  tolerate  it.  A 
strange  feeling  came  to  him,  as  if  he  were  in  a  cage  with 
some  wild  animal  whose  keeper  he  had  driven  away,  and 
which  he  had  petted  and  fed  until  it  had  gotten  beyond 
him.  He  could  control  it  only  by  continually  feeding  it, 
and  it  was  steadily  demanding  more  and  more.  Would 
the  supply  from  which  he  had  drawn  give  out  ?  And 
then  what  would  happen  ?  He  was  aroused  from  his 
thoughts  by  Mcllaffle.  He  gave  a  short  laugh. 

(S  Called  your  hand,  rather,  didn't  he  ?" 

Leech  tried  hard  to  look  composed. 

"  Why  didn't  you  turn  him  over  to  me  ?  I'd  have  got 
it  out  of  him.  Trouble  about  you  is,  you  don't  know  the 
game.  You  are  all  right  when  your  hand's  full,  but  you 
haven't  got  the  courage  to  bet  on  your  hand  if  it's  weak. 
You  either  bluster  till  a  child  would  know  you  were  bluff- 
ing, or  else  you  funk  and  lay  your  hand  down.  I  told  you 
you  couldn't  do  anything  with  these  old  fellows  that  have 
held  on.  If  they'd  been  going  to  come  over,  they'd  have 
done  so  long  ago.  But  if  you  can't  get  them,  you  can 
others.  You  leave  it  to  me,  and  I'll  find  out  where  your 
friend  Allen  is." 

"  Well,  go  on  and  do  it,  and  don't  talk  so  much  about 
it,"  snarled  Leech,  angrily.  "  I  mean  to  have  him,  alive 
or  dead." 

"  And  I  rather  think  you'd  prefer  the  latter,"  sneered 
McRaffle,  darkly. 

"  No  ;  vengeance  belongeth  unto  G-od."  His  tone  was 
unctuous. 

"  Look  here,  Leech,"  said  the  other,  with  cold  contempt, 
"you  make  me  sick.  I've  done  many  things,  but  I'm 
blanked  if  I  ever  quoted  Scripture  to  cover  my  meanness. 


494  RED  ROCK 

You're  thinking  of  Still  ;  I'm  not  him.  You  move  heaven 
and  earth  to  take  your  vengeance,  and  then  talk  about  it 
belonging  to  God.  You  think  you  are  a  God,  but  you  are 
a  mighty  small  one.  And  you  can't  fool  Steve  Allen,  I  tell 
you.  If  you  give  me  a  thousand  dollars,  I'll  get  him  for 
you,  alive  or  dead." 

"  You  said  you'd  get  him  for  two  hundred,  and  I  have 
offered  that  reward,"  said  Leech. 

"  The  price  has  risen,"  said  McRaffle,  coolly.  "  You 
haven't  got  him,  have  you  ?  If  Allen  runs  across  you, 
you'll  wish  you  had  paid  me  five  thousand  ;  and  you  better 
look  out  that  he  don't."  He  rose  and  lounged  toward  the 
door. 

"Well,  you  get  him,  and  we'll  tilk  about  the  price/' 
said  Leech. 

"  We'll  talk  of  it  before  that,  Colonel,"  said  McRaffle, 
slowly  to  himself. 

Leech  had  some  compensation  next  day  when  he  super- 
intended the  arrangements  for  the  transfer  of  his  prison- 
ers to  the  city.  His  office  was  besieged  all  day  with  the 
friends  and  relatives  of  the  prisoners,  offering  bail  and 
begging  their  release,  or,  at  least,  that  he  would  allow  them 
to  remain  in  the  County  until  the  time  for  the  term  of 
court  to  begin.  To  all  he  returned  the  same  answer — he 
was  "  only  a  humble  minister  of  the  law  ;  the  law  must 
take  its  course."  He  found  this  answer  satisfactory.  It 
implied  that  he  could  if  he  would,  and  at  the  same  time 
left  an  impression  of  the  inscrutable  character  of  the  pun- 
ishment to  come.  He  had  begun  to  feel  very  virtuous. 
Prom  being  a  humble  instrument  of  Providence,  he  had 
come  to  feel  as  if  he  were  a  part  of  Providence  itself. 
The  thought  made  his  bosom  swell.  It  was  so  sweet  to 
find  himself  in  this  position,  that  he  determined  to 
lengthen  out  the  pleasure ;  so,  instead  of  sending  all  his 
prisoners  down  to  the  city  at  once,  he  divided  them  into 
two  lots  and  shipped  only  half  of  them  at  first,  keeping 
the  others  in  jail  in  the  County  until  another  day.  What 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A  TRAP  495 

his  reason  was  no  one  knew  at  the  time.  It  was  charged 
around  the  County  that  he  wanted  to  keep  Jacquelin  Gray 
until  he  could  secure  Steve  Allen,  so  that  he  might  march 
them  down  handcuffed  together,  and  that  he  kept  Andy 
Stamper  and  some  of  the  others,  so  that  he  might  hector 
them  personally.  However  that  was,  he  kept  these  in  jail 
at  Brutusville  ;  and  the  others  were  marched  down  to  the 
station  handcuffed,  under  guard  of  the  soldiers,  and  with  a 
crowd  of  yelling,  hooting  negroes  running  besido  them, 
screaming  and  laughing  at  them,  until  one  of  the  officers 
drove  them  to  a  respectful  distance.  They  were  shipped 
to  the  city  in  a  closed  box-car,  Leech  superintending  the 
shipment  personally.  Just  before  starting  he  approached 
Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie,  and  said  that  in  considera- 
tion of  their  age  he  would  have  them  sent  down  to  the  sta- 
tion in  his  carriage. 

"  Thank  you.  We  wish  no  exemptions  made  in  our  cases 
different  from  those  accorded  our  neighbors,"  said  Dr. 
Gary,  grimly.  The  General  said  nothing;  he  only  looked 
away. 

"Now,  my  dear  sirs,  this  is  not  Christian,"  urged 
Leech.  "  I  beg  that  you  will  allow  me  the  pleasure " 

The  little  General  turned  on  him  so  suddenly  and  with 
such  a  blaze  in  his  eyes,  that  Leech  sprang  back,  and  his 
sentence  was  never  finished. 

"  Dog  !  "  was  the  only  word  that  reached  him. 

So  Dr.  Gary  and  General  Legaie  went  along  with  the 
rest,  though  they  were  not  handcuffed.  Old  Mr.  Lang- 
staff  was  released  on  his  recognizance,  Leech  kindly  of- 
fering the  Commissioner  to  go  his  bail  himself. 

On  Leech's  return  from  the  railroad  that  night,  he  re- 
quested the  officer  in  command  to  go  through  the  jail  with 
him,  and  gave  him,  in  a  high  key,  especial  orders  as  to 
guarding  it  securely. 

"It  will  be  guarded  securely  enough/'  said  the  Captain, 
gruffly.  He  was  beginning  to  find  Leech  intolerable. 
The  last  few  days'  work  had  sickened  him. 


496  BED   ROCK 

"  I'll  soon  have  another  prisoner, "said  Leech  as  he  passed 
the  door  where  Jacquelin  was  confined. — He  raised  his  voice 

so  that  it  might  be  heard  by  those  within  the  cells "  And 

then  we  shall  relieve  you/' 

"  Well,  I  wish  you'd  do  it  quick,  for  I'm  blanked  tired 
of  this  business,  I  can  tell  you  ! "  snapped  the  Captain. 

( e  Oh,  it  won't  be  long  now.  A  day  or  two  at  most. 
We'll  have  Allen,  dead  or  alive.  I  had  information  to-day 
that  will  secure  him.  And  the  court  will  sit  immediately 
to  try  them." 

The  Captain  made  no  answer,  except  a  grunt.  Leech 
puffed  out  his  bosom. 

"  A  soldier's  duty  is  to  obey  orders,  Captain,"  he  said, 
sententiously. 

The  Captain  turned  on  him  suddenly,  his  red  face  red- 
der than  ever.  "  Look  here,  you  bully  these  men  down 
here  who  haven't  anybody  to  speak  up  for  them  ;  but  don't 
you  be  trying  to  teach  me  my  duty,  Mister  Leech,  or  I'll 
break  your  crooked  neck,  you  hear  ?  " 

He  looked  so  large  and  threatening  that  Leech  fell  back. 
In  order  to  appease  the  ruffled  officer  and  satisfy  him  that 
he  was  not  a  coward,  Leech,  just  as  he  was  leaving,  said 
that  he  did  not  care  for  him  to  send  guards  up  to  his  house 
that  night,  as  he  had  been  doing. 

"All  right." 

"  Of  course,  I  mean  until  toward  bedtime,  Captain.  1 
think  it  still  better  to  keep  them  there  until  I  leave.  I 
have  important  documents  there.  You  don't  know  these 
people  as  I  do.  I  shall  go  to  the  city  to-morrow  or  next 
day.  I  have  business  there,  and  I  have  the  utmost  con- 
fidence in  your  ability  to  manage  things.  I  shall  report 
your  zeal  to  our  friends  in  Washington." 

"  All  right,"  grunted  the  Captain.    And  Leech  went  off. 

Leech  started  toward  his  house.  "I'll  have  him  re- 
called and  get  somebody  else  in  his  place,"  he  muttered. 

He  stopped,  and,  going  to  his  office,  lit  a  lamp  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  authorities  urging  a  transfer  ot  the 


MR.   LEECH  SPRINGS  A  TRAP  497 

present  company,  on  the  ground  that  the  Captain  did  not 
appear  very  well  adapted  for  managing  the  negroes,  and 
that  he  feared  it  was  giving  encouragement  to  those  they 
were  trying  to  suppress. 

When  he  had  written  his  letter,  he  sat  back  and  began 
to  think.  He  had  heard  a  name  that  day  that  had  disqui- 
eted him.  It  was  the  name  of  the  teacher  at  Mrs.  Welch's 
school.  He  had  always  supposed  her  name  was  Miss  May, 
but  it  seemed  that  her  name  was  Miss  Bush. 

One  thing  that  had  worried  him  in  the  past  more  than 
he  had  ever  admitted  even  to  himself  had  like  the  others, 
under  the  influence  of  his  fortunate  star,  passed  wholly 
away.  He  had  married  early  in  life.  As  his  ambition 
rose,  his  wife  had  been  a  clog  to  him.  He  had  tried  to  get 
a  divorce ;  but  this  she  resisted,  and  he  had  failed.  She 
had,  however,  consented  to  a  separation.  And  he  had  per- 
suaded her  to  give  up  his  name  and  resume  her  own,  Miss 
Bush.  He  had  not  heard  anything  of  her  in  a  long  time, 
and  he  was  quietly  moving  to  get  a  divorce  on  the  ground 
of  abandonment — of  her  having  abandoned  him.  When 
this  was  done,  why  should  he  not  marry  again?  Miss 
Krafton  was  a  handsome  girl.  It  would  make  Krafton  his 
friend  and  ally  instead  of  his  enemy,  and  together  they 
could  own  the  State. 

Just  then  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  A  servant  en- 
tered. A  lady  wanted  to  see  him.  Who  was  it  ?  The 
servant  did  not  know.  She  wanted  to  see  him  at  once. 
Curiosity  prevailed.  "  Show  her  in,"  said  Leech.  She 
entered  a  moment  later.  Leech  turned  deadly  white.  It 
was  Miss  Bush.  The  next  moment  his  fear  gave  way  to 
rage.  He  sprang  to  his  feet.  te  What  are  you  doing  here  ? 
Where  did  you  come  from  ?  "  he  snarled. 

She  seated  herself  on  a  chair  near  the  door. 

"Don't  be  angry  with  me,  John/'  she  said,  quietly. 

"  I  am  angry.  Why  shouldn't  I  be  angry  with  you  ? 
You  have  lied  to  me." 

"  That  I  have  not."     She  spoke  firmly. 


498  RED   ROCK 

"  You  have.  What  do  you  call  it  ?  Did  you  not  prom- 
ise never  to  bother  me  again  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  bothered  you.  I  came  here  to  try  and  pro- 
tect you." 

"  You  have.  You  gave  me  your  word  never  to  come 
near  me  again.  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"  Well,  talk  quick.  I  have  no  time  to  waste  on  you.  I 
am  busy." 

"  I  know  you  are,  and  I  shall  not  bother  you  long.  I 
want  you  to  stop  prosecuting  Dr.  Gary  and  Mr.  Gray  and 
Captain  Allen." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  them  ?  "  asked  Leech,  in  un- 
feigned astonishment. 

"  They  are  friends  of  friends  of  mine.  Dr.  Gary  saved 
my  life  not  long  ago." 

"I  wish  he'd  let  you —  HI  see  you  first  where  I  wish 
they  were  now — in  blank." 

"  There  is  no  use  in  speaking  that  way,  John,"  she  said, 
quietly. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  '  John '  me,"  he  snarled.  "  I  tell 
you  I  want  you  to  go  away." 

"  I  am  going,"  she  said,  sadly.  "  I  will  go  as  soon  as  I 
can.  I  have  no  money." 

"  Where  is  your  money  ?  " 

"I  lent  it  to  Captain  McKaffle  to  invest." 

"  More  fool  you  !" 

His  manner  changed. 

"  Will  you  go  if  I  give  you  the  money  ?  " 

"  Yes  " — his  face  brightened — "  as  soon  as  I  have  fin- 
ished my  year  here." 

He  broke  out  on  her  furiously. 

"  That's  always  the  way  with  you.  You  are  such  a  liar, 
there's  no  believing  you.  I  wish  you  were  dead." 

"I  know  you  do,  John;  and  I  do,  too;"  she  said, 
wearily.  "  But  the  issues  of  life  and  death  belong  to 
God." 


MR.   LEECH   SPRINGS   A   TRAP  499 

"  Oh,  that's  jnst  a  part  of  your  hypocrisy.  Here,  if  I 
give  yon  money,  will  you  go  away  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  soon  as  I  can." 

"  And  will  yon  promise  me  never  to  breathe  my  name  to 
a  sonl  while  yon  are  here,  or  let  anyone  know  that  you 
know  me  ?  Will  you  give  me  your  word  on  that  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

He  looked  at  her  keenly  for  a  moment. 

"  Does  anyone  know  that  yon — that  yon  ever  knew 
me?" 

She  flushed  faintly,  with  distress. 

"  Yes,  one  person — one  only." 

Leech  sprang  to  her  and  seized  her  roughly. 

"And  he?    Who  is  he  ?" 

"  Dr.  Gary.  I  told  him  when  I  thought  I  was  dying. 
He  will  not  tell." 

He  gave  a  cry  of  rage. 

"  He  !  Fd  rather  have  had  anyone  else  know  it."  He 
flung  her  from  him  roughly  and  stood  for  a  moment  lost  in 
thought.  His  countenance  cleared  up.  If  Dr.  Gary  had 
promised  not  to  tell,  he  knew  he  would  not  do  so,  if  his 
life  hung  on  it. 

When  he  spoke  it  was  in  a  somewhat  changed  voice. 

' '  Remember,  you  have  sworn  that  you  will  never  men- 
tion it  again  to  a  sonl,  and  that  you  will  never  come  near 
me  again  as  long  as  yon  live  ! " 

"  Yes."  She  looked  at  him  with  pleading  eyes,  inter- 
lacing her  fingers.  "  Oh,  John  !  "  she  gasped,  and  then 
her  voice  failed  her. 

For  answer,  Leech  opened  the  door  and  glanced  out  into 
the  empty  passage,  then  seized  her  by  the  shoulder  and  put 
her  outside,  and,  shutting  the  door,  locked  it. 

A  minute  later  she  slowly  and  silently  went  down  the 
dark  stairs  and  out  into  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

CAPTAIN   ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   KEWARD    LEECH   OFFERED 

LEECH  had  a  bad  half-hour  ;  but  when  he  left  his  office 
his  spirits  were  rising  again.  He  had  weathered  many  a 
storm  before.  It  would  be  hard  if  he  could  not  weather 
this  little  trouble.  He  was  satisfied  that  his  wife  would 
keep  her  word  not  to  divulge  his  secret  to  anyone,  and  if 
he  could  but  get  her  away  everything  would  go  all  right. 
He  would  be  free  to  marry  a  handsome  and  wealthy  wom- 
an ;  and  this  alliance  would  give  him  complete  control  of 
the  State.  With  this,  what  might  he  not  have — wealth 
unlimited,  position,  unmeasured  power — there  was  no  end 
to  it  !  It  all  stretched  before  him  a  shining  track  with,  at 
the  end — it  appeared  before  him  for  only  one  brief  mo- 
ment— a  dazzling  point  :  at  the  far  end  of  that  long  track 
a  great  white  house,  with  the  broad  avenues  reaching  in 

every  direction.  Why  not  ?  Why  should  he  not  be ? 

The  vision  made  his  head  swim.  He  wiped  his  hand 
across  his  mouth  as  though  he  tasted  something  actually 
material. 

He  returned  to  earth,  and,  locking  his  office-door,  strolled 
up  the  hill.  The  village  was  all  quiet  except  for  the  sen- 
tries pacing  their  beats. 

As  Leech  walked  up  under  the  clear  stars,  the  thought 
came  into  his  mind  once  more  ;  and  this  time  he  tried  to 
follow  it  step  by  step.  Yes,  it  was  possible.  He  was  rich, 
powerful,  fortunate.  He  would  be  Governor.  What  might 
he  not  be !  His  enemies  had  fallen  before  him — all  but 
one,  and  that  one  could  not  escape.  He  would  find  him, 
alive  or  dead  ;  and  then — wealth — power — revenge  !  He 

500 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   REWARD         501 

raised  his  clenched  hand  and  brought  it  down  in  the  in- 
tensity of  his  feeling. 

"  Yes,  by  Gr — d  !  Fll  have  him,  alive  or  dead  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. He  was  almost  at  his  gate.  Two  steps  brought 
him  to  it ;  and  before  him  in  the  darkness,  waiting  for  him, 
tall  and  silent,  stood  the  man  he  wanted. 

"  I  hear  yon  are  hunting  for  me,"  said  Steve  Allen, 
quietly.  "  I  am  here." 

The  blood  rushed  back  and  forth  in  Leech's  veins  as  cold 
as  ice,  as  hot  as  fire.  What  would  he  not  have  given  for 
his  guards  !  Why  had  he  been  such  a  fool  as  to  dismiss 
them  !  He  thought  of  his  pistol ;  but  he  knew  Steve  was 
quicker  with  a  pistol  than  he.  So  he  resorted  to  craft. 
He  would  keep  him  until  the  guards  arrived. 

' '  How  are  you,  Captain  ?  Won't  you  walk  in  ? "  he 
said,  with  a  show  of  ease,  though  his  voice  quavered.  He 
thought  about  offering  his  hand,  but  feared  to  do  so.  If 
he  could  only  detain  him  ! 

"  Thank  you.  I  will."  Steve  indicated  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand  that  Leech  should  precede  him ;  and  Leech  walked 
before  him,  knowing  that  he  was  his  prisoner.  Still  he 
hoped  help  would  come.  They  went  into  his  library. 
Steve  took  a  seat. 

"  What  did  you  want  with  me  ?" 

"I  was  only  fooling,"  said  Leech,  feebly.  Steve  looked 
so  placid  that  he  began  to  feel  reassured.  "  You  know 
there's  a  warrant  out  for  your  arrest ;  and  the  best  thing  for 
you  to  do  is  to  surrender  quietly.  You  can  clear  yourself 
easy  enough,  and  it's  just  a  form.  You  come  with  me,  and 
I'll  do  all  I  can  for  you."  His  voice  was  cajoling,  and  he 
looked  at  Steve  almost  tenderly.  "  You  know  I  was  only 
fooling  about  what  I  said." 

Steve  looked  at  him  with  cold  contempt.  "  You'll  find  it 
ill  fooling  with  a  desperate  man.  Let's  drop  our  masks. 
You  have  made  a  mistake  to  push  us  so  far.  You  have 
oifered  a  reward  for  me,  alive  or  dead.  I  am  here  to  claim 
it.  You  are  my  prisoner,  and  you  know  it."  He  gave  Leech 


502  BED    ROCK 

a  glance  that  made  him  shiver.  "  Sit  there,  and  write  what  I 
tell  you."  He  indicated  Leech's  desk.  Leech,  with  blanched 
face,  took  his  seat.  As  he  did  so  he  glanced  furtively  at 
the  clock.  Secret  as  the  glance  was,  Steve  saw  it. 

"  Be  quick  about  it,  and  don't  waste  a  word.  I  have  no 
time  to  spare.  Eemember,  it  was  alive  or  dead  you  wanted 
me/'  He  dictated  the  words  of  a  safe-conduct : 

"  To  the  Commandant  of  United  States  troops  in  Dis- 
trict No.  — .  Pass  the  bearer  and  companions,  and  render 
them  all  the  aid  possible.  For  reasons  of  State/'  added 
Steve,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as  he  glanced  over  it. 
"  Now  sign  it." 

Leech  signed  slowly.  He  was  listening  with  all  his 
ears. 

"Now  another."  Steve  dictated  the  following  to  the 
commanding  officer  in  the  village:  "I  have  been  called 
away  unexpectedly  on  business  connected  with  the  man  I 
want,  Captain  Allen.  Take  no  steps  in  my  absence,  and 
credit  no  reports  not  signed  by  me  personally."  Now 
sign  it,  and  add  this  postscript :  "  I  have  decided  to  pursue 
a  more  conciliatory  policy  toward  the  prisoners.  Please 
make  them  entirely  comfortable,  and  give  their  friends 
access  to  them."  Sign  that,  and  mark  it  to  be  delivered  in 
the  morning,  and  leave  it  on  your  table. 

"  Leave  it  on  my  table  ?  "    Leech's  face  blanched. 

"  Yes,  you  are  going  with  me." 

Just  then  steps  were  heard  on  the  walk  outside,  and  the 
murmur  of  low  voices  reached  them.  A  gleam  of  hope 
stole  into  Leech's  face.  Steve  Allen  heard  too,  and  he 
listened  intently.  As  he  turned  his  eyes  again  on  Leech, 
a  new  light  appeared  in  the  latter's  eyes ;  fear  had  sudden- 
ly changed  to  joy. 

"  Aha  !  Captain  Allen,  our  positions  are  reversed  again. 
Let  us  drop  our  masks  indeed  !  You  are  my  prisoner  now. 
Those  are  my  sentries.  The  house  is  surrounded  by  sol- 
diers. Ah  !  ha-ha-ha  ! "  he  laughed,  leaning  back  in  his 
chair,  eying  Steve,  and  rubbing  his  hands  in  glee. 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   EEWARD         503 

Steve  shifted  his  seat  a  little,  displaying  the  butt  of  a 
revolver. 

"  You  fool ! "  he  said,  with  that  coolness  which  was 
Leech's  envy  and  despair,  and  which  made  him  in  a  way 
admire  Steve  more  than  any  other  man  he  knew.  "  Sup- 
pose they  are  your  men  ?  You  are  going  with  me  all  the 
same.  If  they  come  in  here,  you  are  still  my  prisoner  ;  and 
one  word — one  look  from  you — one  bare  suspicion  on  their 
part  that  I  am  not  going  on  your  invitation  ;  that  it  is  not 
voluntary  on  your  part — and  you  are  a  dead  man."  He 
loosened  his  pistol,  and,  while  he  listened,  sat  looking  at 
Leech  with  a  cool  assurance  on  his  face  that  made  Leech 
gasp. 

There  was  a  sharp  knock  at  the  outer  door.  As  Steve 
listened  his  expression  changed  to  one  of  amusement. 

"  Call  to  them  to  come  in,  and  remember  you  were 
never  in  greater  peril  than  at  this  moment." 

Leech  called,  and  there  was  the  slow  tramp  of  several 
men  in  the  passageway. 

"  Call  them  in  here." 

Leech  was  becoming  puzzled.  But  he  could  not  keep 
down  the  hope  that  was  dawning  on  his  countenance.  He 
called,  and  they  approached  the  door.  Steve  did  not  even 
turn.  He  was  keeping  his  eyes  on  a  big  gilt  mirror  that 
hung  in  front  of  him  and  showed  both  the  door  and 
Leech. 

The  men  reached  the  door  and  knocked  again  ;  then 
opened  it,  and  three  men  in  United  States  uniform  stood 
in  the  doorway.  Steve's  hand  left  his  pistol,  and  the  eyes 
in  the  mirror  were  filled  with  a  more  amused  smile  as 
he  glanced  from  them  to  Leech.  A  radiant  joy  sprang 
into  Leech's  face.  He  gave  a  dive  behind  his  desk,  shout- 
ing, "  Seize  that  man.  Shoot  him  if  he  lifts  his  hand  ! " 

Nothing  of  the  kind,  however,  occurred.  At  a  sign  from 
Steve,  the  three  men  came  inside  the  room  and  closed  the 
door  behind  them. 

"Come  out,  Leech.     These  are  my  men,  not  yours," 


504  RED   ROCK 

said  Steve.  "  You  are  too  big  a  coward  to  fool  with ; 
come  out.  Pull  him  out,  one  of  you."  And  the  man 
nearest  Leech  caught  him  by  the  arm  and  dragged  him  up 
on  his  feet,  gasping  and  white  with  returning  terror  as  he 
saw  the  trick  that  had  been  played  him. 

"Did  you  think  I  was  such  a  fool  as  that?"  Steve 
asked,  contemptuously.  "Come,  we  have  no  more  time 
to  lose.  Fetch  him  along,  men."  He  turned  to  the  door, 
and  the  next  moment  Leech  was  seized  and  hustled  out  at 
a  trot.  The  sight  of  a  pistol  in  the  hand  of  one  of  the 
men'  kept  him  quiet.  At  the  door  a  gag  was  put  into  his 
mouth,  a  cap  was  pulled  down  over  his  eyes,  and  his  arms 
were  pinioned  to  his  side.  He  was  conscious  that  the 
lamps  were  extinguished,  and  the  key  turned  in  the  lock 
behind  him.  Then  he  was  borne  to  his  gate,  set  on  a 
horse,  and  carried  off  through  the  darkness  at  a  gallop.  He 
gave  a  groan  of  terror.  "  Remember  Andy  Stamper,"  said 
one  of  the  men,  and  Leech  remembered  well  enough.  How 
far  they  went  the  prisoner  had  no  means  of  knowing.  After 
awhile  the  gag  was  taken  from  his  mouth  ;  but  he  was  told 
that  the  least  outcry  would  mean  his  death.  They  trav- 
elled at  a  brisk  gait  all  night,  and  he  knew  that  he  had 
several  men  in  his  escort ;  but  though  they  at  times  talked 
together  in  undertones,  they  did  not  address  him  and  were 
deaf  to  his  speeches.  Much  of  the  journey  was  through 
woods,  and  several  times  they  forded  rivers,  and  toward 
the  end  they  must  have  left  all  beaten  tracks,  for  they  rode 
through  bushes  so  dense  as  almost  to  sweep  him  from  his 
horse ;  then  they  descended  a  steep  hill,  forded  a  stream, 
and,  a  little  later,  Leech  was  lifted  from  his  horse,  borne, 
half-dead  with  fright  and  fatigue,  into  a  house,  down  a 
flight  of  steps,  and  laid  on  a  bed.  One  of  the  men  who 
brought  him  in  lighted  a  candle  and  gave  him  a  drink 
of  whiskey,  which  revived  him  ;  and  Leech  found  that  he 
was  in  a  large  room  with  stone  walls,  furnished  simply, 
like  a  bedroom,  and  ventilated  from  the  top. 

The  man  who  was  left  with  him  was  a  stranger  to  him, 


CAPTAIN    ALLEN    CLAIMS   THE   REWARD          505 

and,  as  he  turned  to  go,  Leech  asked  him  to  tell  him  where 
he  was  and  what  they  were  going  to  do  with  him.  He  felt 
that  it  was  his  last  chance. 

"  Maybe  keep  you  as  a  hostage,  maybe  not." 

"  As  a  hostage  ?  " 

"  That's  the  Commander's  idea.  As  a  hostage  for  those 
you've  arrested,  and  I  reckon  what  the  Capt'n  says  will 
prevail.  Good-by."  He  shut  the  door  and  bolted  it  be- 
hind him,  leaving  Leech  alone. 

This,  then,  explained  what  Steve  Allen  meant  by  what 
he  said.  He  was  a  prisoner,  to  be  held  as  a  hostage  for 
those  he  had  arrested.  There  was  a  bed  in  the  room  ; 
and  Leech  was  so  fatigued  that  he  fell  asleep,  and  slept 
until  he  was  awakened  by  the  guard  bringing  him  some- 
thing to  eat.  This  man,  like  the  others,  was  masked,  and 
he  refused  to  talk  at  all. 

< '  What  will  they  do  with  me  ?  "  asked  Leech. 

"  Depends  on  what  orders  you've  given  about  those 
you've  arrested/'  said  the  man  in  a  voice  which  Leech 
knew  was  feigned.  He  was  going.  Leech  determined  to 
make  one  more  effort. 

"  Wait,  please.  I'm  rich.  No,  Fm  not  rich ;  but  I 
have  friends  who  are  who  would  pay  well  if  you — if  I 
were  to  get  back  to  them."  His  voice  had  grown  confi- 
dential. 

"  Shouldn't  be  surprised."  The  tone  was  rather  dry  ; 
but  that  might  have  been  due  to  the  fact  that  the  voice 
was  disguised.  And  as  he  appeared  acquiescent,  Leech 
took  courage.  He  moved  a  little  nearer  to  him.  "I 
could  make  it  worth  your  while  to  let  me  go,"  he  said, 
insinuatingly.  The  man  waited.  Leech's  hopes  revived. 
Me  Raffle  had  sold  out ;  why  not  buy  this  man  ?  He  was 
plainer.  "  Why  not  let  me  out  ?  "  The  guard  was  con- 
sidering. "  Help  me,  and  help  me  get  hold  of — just  help 
me,  and  I  will  see  that  you  and  your  friends  receive  full 
pardon,  and  will  make  you  rich." 

The   guard  pulled  off  his  mask.     It  was  Steve  Allen 


506  BED    ROCK 

himself.  "  Good-night ;"  and  he  was  gone,  leaving  Leech 
with  his  heart  in  his  mouth. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  the  County  over  the 
disappearance  of  Major  Leech ;  but  it  was  suppressed  ex- 
citement, and,  curious  as  it  may  seem,  his  absence  had 
the  immediate  effect  of  quieting  the  negroes.  They  were 
struck  with  awe  at  either  the  boldness  or  the  mystery  of 
his  abduction,  and  almost  within  a  night  after  he  dis- 
appeared they  had  subsided.  One  who  had  seen  them 
parading  and  yelling  with  defiance  and  delight  the  day 
that  Leech  led  his  handcuffed  prisoners  to  the  station  to 
ship  them  off  to  prison,  would  not  have  recognized  the 
awe-struck  and  civil  people  who  now  went  back  and  forth 
so  quietly  to  their  work.  It  seemed  almost  a  miracle. 

All  sorts  of  tales  were  published  in  the  public  press  as  to 
this  latest  outrage,  and  there  was  much  denunciation ;  but 
no  action  was  taken  immediately,  and  for  a  time,  at  least, 
the  old  County  was  once  more  under  the  rule  of  its  own 
citizens. 

Owing  partly  to  the  letter  Leech  had  written  just  before 
his  disappearance,  and  partly  to  the  request  of  the  Captain 
of  the  company,  who  was  heartily  tired  of  his  work,  an  order 
had  been  issued  transferring  that  officer's  company  to  an- 
other post ;  and  he  had  left  with  his  company  before  the 
fact  of  Leech's  abduction  became  known.  An  appeal  was 
made  to  the  Governor  to  declare  the  County  under  mar- 
tial law  ;  but  though  he  talked  about  it  loudly  enough,  and 
made  many  threats,  he  did  not  carry  out  his  threats  im- 
mediately. Perhaps  the  Governor  was  not  too  anxious 
to  go  into  an  investigation  that  might,  instead  of  proving 
Leech  to  have  been  murdered,  result  in  bringing  back 
into  the  field  his  most  formidable  rival. 

It,  however,  was  deemed  by  the  higher  authorities  that 
something  must  be  done  to  vindicate  the  majesty  of  the 
law,  and  it  was  decided  to  send  other  troops  to  the  County. 
The  selection  of  troops,  however,  had  been  proved  by  the 
history  of  the  County  to  be  a  matter  of  more  than  ordi- 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   REWARD         507 

nary  delicacy.  Several  different  bodies  had  been  sent  there 
without  accomplishing  what  had  been  hoped  for. 

It  happened  that  Thurston's  command  had  just  re- 
turned from  the  Northwest  and  was  awaiting  some  dis- 
posal. It  was  remembered  that  this  same  troop  had  once 
quieted  things  in  the  disturbed  region,  and  had  given,  at 
least,  more  of  a  show  of  peace  than  any  of  their  numerous 
successors  had  done.  This  was  one  view  of  the  case. 
There  was  perhaps  another  view  which  may  have  influ- 
enced some.  So  Thurston  was  unexpectedly  dispatched 
with  his  command  to  the  place  from  which  he  had  been 
ordered  several  years  before.  His  appearance  was  a  com- 
plete surprise  to  the  old  residents,  and  the  effect  was  im- 
mediately apparent. 

It  was  not  known  what  it  signified.  Some  thought  it 
meant  the  immediate  placing  of  the  County  under  martial 
law,  and  the  arrest  of  the  remaining  citizens.  Others  held 
differently.  Whatever  it  meant,  the  excitement  quieted 
down.  The  whites  had  had  experience  with  this  company, 
and  felt  that  they  could  be  relied  on.  The  blacks  recog- 
nized that  a  stronger  power  had  come  among  them,  and 
that  it  meant  order  and  obedience. 

When  Captain  Thurston  dismounted  from  his  horse  on 
the  very  ground  on  which  he  had  dismounted  a  number  of 
years  before,  he  had  a  curious  feeling  of  mingled  pleasure 
and  dissatisfaction.  There,  amid  the  big  trees,  stood  the 
old  court-house,  massive  and  imposing  as  it  had  looked 
that  day  when  he  had  guyed  old  Mr.  Dockett  about  its 
architecture,  and  told  him  that  it  was  finer  than  anything 
in  Athens ;  there,  were  the  same  great  trees ;  there  the 
same  rows  of  old  offices,  only  a  little  more  dilapidated ; 
there  the  same  moody  faces  of  the  few  whites,  and  the  same 
crowd  of  idling  negroes  lagging  about  his  troop.  He 
turned  and  looked  at  the  clerk's  office,  almost  expecting  to 
see  the  same  rosy,  girlish  face  looking  out  at  him  defiantly. 
Instead,  a  brawny  negro  in  black  clothes,  with  a  beaver 
hat  cocked  on  the  side  of  his  head,  was  lounging  in  the 


508  RED   KOCK 

door  smoking  a  cigar.  It  gave  the  captain  an  unpleasant 
shock  ;  and  as  he  made  arrangements  about  placing  his 
camp  he  wondered  where  old  Mr.  Dockett  was  now,  and  how 
his  pretty  daughter  was  coming  on.  He  had  not  heard 
from  her  since  his  last  campaign.  She  was  probably  mar- 
ried. The  idea  gave  him  an  unpleasant  sensation.  He 
always  hated  to  hear  of  any  pretty  girl  marrying.  It 
seemed  to  make  the  world  lonelier.  The  negro  in  the  door 
sauntered  across  toward  the  camp  and  spoke  to  some  of 
the  soldiers  familiarly,  his  silk  hat  on  the  side  of  his  head, 
his  cigar  rolling  in  his  mouth. 

"What  company  is  this,  men  ?" 

The  words  reached  the  Captain.  One  of  the  men  who 
was  working  told  him  shortly. 

"Who's  your  Captain?" 

"  There  he  is." 

Thurston  had  grown  stouter,  and  the  negro  did  not  rec- 
ognize him. 

"  That  little  man  ?    What's  his  name  ?  " 

Thurston  caught  the  speech  and,  before  the  soldier 
could  answer,  bawled  at  the  negro,  "  Come  here  and  take 
hold  of  these  things,  and  don't  stand  there  interfering  with 
the  men."  The  darky  looked  at  him  in  blank  amaze- 
ment. 

"Who?    Me?" 

"Yes,  you." 

"  Not  me  ;  you  don't  know  who  I  am  ! "  He  reared 
himself  back  and  stuck  his  thumbs  in  his  armholes. 

"  No,  and  I  don't  care  a  hang  either,"  said  the  little 
Captain.  "  Sergeant,  make  that  man  take  hold  of  those 
things  and  put  them  in  place." 

"  I'm  Senator  Ash,"  declared  the  man,  surlily,  swelling 
with  importance,  and  turning  to  walk  away. 

"  Halt,  there,"  said  the  soldier,  coldly. 

Nicholas  Ash  turned  at  the  tone,  to  find  the  sergeant 
quietly  taking  his  pistol  from  the  holster. 

"You  come  back  here." 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   REWARD         509 

"I'm  Senator  Ash." 

"  Well,  I  don't  give  a who  yon  are  ;  if  yon  are  Cap- 
tain Jack  himself,  you  catch  hold  there,  as  the  Captain 
says,  or  'twill  be  the  worse  for  you.  He  won't  stand  no 
foolishness.  I've  seen  him  string  a  man  up  for  less  than 
you  have  said  already."  And  the  weather-beaten  soldier 
looked  so  coldly  on  the  senator  that  the  latter  deemed  it 
best  to  go  through  the  form  of  obeying,  and,  swallowing 
his  rage  as  best  he  might,  took  hold  and  did  his  first  man- 
ual labor  in  some  years. 

This  was  the  first  official  act  of  Captain  Thurston  on  his 
return,  and,  though  it  was  an  accident,  it,  perhaps,  saved 
him  trouble  in  the  future. 

The  Captain  availed  himself  of  the  earliest  opportunity  to 
hunt  up  his  old  friends.  When  he  had  pitched  his  camp 
and  got  settled,  he  sauntered  up  to  Mr.  Dockett's.  As 
he  walked  along  he  noted  the  changes  that  had  occurred 
since  he  went  away.  The  yards  were  more  uncared  for,  the 
houses  more  dilapidated,  and  the  fences  more  broken.  As 
he  entered  the  Dockett  yard,  he  was  pleased  to  observe  that 
it  was  kept  in  its  old  trim  order.  The  breath  of  flowers 
that  he  remembered  so  well,  and  had  always  associated  with 
the  place,  met  him  as  of  old.  When  he  opened  the  gate  he 
saw  that  there  were  several  persons  on  the  porch  ;  but  as 
he  approached  they  all  rose  and  disappeared  in  the  house. 
There  were  one  or  two  white  dresses  in  the  party.  He  had 
not  long  to  wait.  At  his  knock  Mrs.  Dockett  herself  ap- 
peared, and  he  thought  he  could  see  the  firm  set  of  her 
mouth  and  the  glint  in  her  eyes  as  she  bore  down  upon 
him.  She  looked  much  older.  She  did  not  appear  sur- 
prised to  see  him.  She  invited  him  in,  but  did  not  say 
anything  about  her  daughter ;  and  at  length  the  Captain 
had  to  ask  after  her.  She  was  very  well,  she  thanked  him. 
She  had  some  young  friends  with  her. 

In  this  condition  of  affairs,  Captain  Thurston  had  re- 
course to  stratagem.  He  adroitly  turned  the  conversation 
to  Rupert  Gray,  and  began  to  tell  of  his  success  in  the 


510  BED   KOCK 

West,  and  of  the  incident  when  he  had  showed  such  brav- 
ery while  acting  as  a  scout  with  him.  He  was  conscious 
at  once  of  the  change  in  the  good  lady's  manner,  and  of 
the  increased  interest  she  betrayed  ;  so  he  dilated  on  it  at 
some  length.  No  one  ever  had  a  warmer  historian.  He 
made  Rupert  out  a  hero,  and  was  congratulating  himself 
secretly  on  his  success,  when,  with  a  sniff,  Mrs.  Dockett  de- 
clared that  she  was  not  surprised  at  Rupert's  acting  so.  It 
was  only  what  she  should  have  expected  from  one  of  their 
young  men,  and  she  was  not  surprised  that  the  Yankees 
should  have  been  obliged  to  call  on  him  to  help  them.  Bat 
she  was  surprised  that  Captain  Thurston  should  have  ex- 
posed a  boy  like  Rupert,  hardly  more  than  a  child,  to  such 
danger.  Why  had  he  not  gone  himself  to  rescue  his  men  ? 
Thurston  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  turn  she  gave  his 
story.  This  shot  appeared,  however,  to  have  somewhat 
cleared  the  atmosphere.  Mrs.  Dockett  began  to  unbend. 
She  "  would  see  her  daughter ;  perhaps,  she  would  come 
in  ;  she  would  like  to  hear  of  Rupert."  Just  then,  whether 
for  this  reason  or  one  in  which  the  visitor  had  a  more  per- 
sonal concern,  the  door  opened  and  Miss  Dockett  walked 
in  unbidden.  She,  too,  had  grown  older  since  Thurston 
went  away ;  but  the  change  was  not  to  her  disadvantage. 
The  plump  little  figure  had  developed  ;  the  round  face  had 
in  it  more  force  ;  and  she  had  become,  if  not  a  very  pret- 
ty woman,  at  least  a  very  comely  one.  She  greeted  the 
Captain  distantly,  but  not  coldly.  She  began  by  making 
war  at  once,  and  that  the  little  officer  was  used  to.  It  was 
only  indifference  that  he  could  not  stand. 

"  Well,  and  so  you  have  come  back,  and  I  suppose  you 
will  expect  us  all  to  get  down  on  our  knees  to  you  ?  "  she 
said,  her  chin  a  little  elevated. 

"  No,  not  you.  I'll  make  a  treaty  with  you,  if  you 
won't  insist  on  my  getting  down  on  mine  to  you,"  he 
laughed. 

"  To  me  ?  I  supposed  Miss  Welch  was  the  only  one  you 
did  that  to." 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   CLAIMS   THE   EEWAED         511 

This  was  encouraging,  and  the  little  Captain  was  in- 
stantly at  his  ease. 

«  Miss  Welch  ?    Who  is  Miss  Welch  ?  " 

"  Come,  now,  don't  be  trying  that  with  me  ;  I  know  all 
about  it,  so  you  might  as  well  tell  me.  Perhaps,  you'll 
need  my  assistance.  All  the  gentlemen  seem  to  be  victims 
to  her  charms.  Captain  Allen  thinks  there  is  no  one  like 
her.  Some  men,  when  they  are  discarded,  take  to  drink, 
but  here  they  seem  to  take  to  Miss  Welch." 

' '  Well,  some  men  need  one  kind  of  stimulant,  and  some 
another  ;  now,  I  like  mine  with  a  proper  mixture  of  spirit 
and  sweetening."  The  little  Captain's  eyes  were  helping 
him  all  they  could. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,  I'm  sure."  She  looked 
down  coyly. 

"  Say,  a  sort  of  peach  and  honey  ?  " 

"  You  men  have  such  vulgar  similes."  The  little  nose 
was  turning  up. 

"Well,  I'll  be  literary,  and  say  ' a  snow  and  rose-bloom 
maiden,' "  said  the  Captain,  who  had  been  reading  Carlyle. 
"I  always  think  of  you  in  connection  with  roses  and 
snow." 

The  little  nose  came  down,  and  the  Captain's  peace  was 
made.  He  began  to  tell  of  Indian  fights  and  long  marches 
ove^  parched  or  snow-swept  plains,  where  men  and  horses 
dropped.  Miss  Elizabeth,  like  Desdemona,  to  hear  did 
seriously  incline,  and  the  Captain  was  invited  to  supper. 


CHAPTER  XL 

JACQUELIN  GKAY  AND  ANDY  STAMPER  PAY  AN"  OLD   DEBT 

THE  disappearance  of  Leech  had  strangely  affected  Miss 
Bush.  She  was  much  agitated  by  it.  Her  host  was  sure 
at  first  that  Leech  had  gone  off  ;  then  he  was  sure  he  had 
been  murdered.  Miss  Bush  was  accustomed  to  investigate 
for  herself.  Among  her  acquaintances  was  old  Peggy, 
who  lived  in  the  cabin  on  the  abandoned  place.  Miss  Bush, 
in  her  round  among  the  negroes,  had  found  the  old  woman, 
and,  in  the  face  of  some  coldness  on  the  latter's  part,  had 
persisted  in  showing  her  kindness,  and  had  finally  won 
her  gratitude,  if  not  her  friendship.  Soon  after  Leech's 
disappearance  she  paid  old  Peggy  a  visit.  Then  she  went 
to  see  Miss  Welch.  If  Miss  Welch  would  only  use  her  in- 
fluence with  Captain  Allen  !  Miss  Welch  had  none  ;  they 
did  not  even  speak.  But  she  made  a  suggestion. 

So,  one  evening  about  dusk,  just  after  the  arrival  of 
Thurston  with  his  command,  a  visitor,  deeply  veiled,  ap- 
plied to  the  sentinel  at  the  gate  of  the  court-green,  and 
asked  leave  to  see  Mr.  Jacquelin  Gray.  The  sergeant  of 
the  guard  was  called,  and,  after  certain  formalities,  she  was 
admitted  to  the  clerk's  office ;  and  a  few  minutes  later 
Jacquelin  Gray  came  in.  The  visitor  stated,  with  some 
nervousness,  that  she  wished  to  see  him  privately,  and 
Jacquelin,  wondering  what  the  stranger  could  want  with 
him,  walked  with  her  into  the  inner  office.  Even  there 
she  appeared  greatly  embarrassed.  She  evidently  did  not 
know  how  to  begin,  and  Jacquelin,  to  relieve  her,  asked 
her  kindly  what  he  could  do  for  her. 

"  I  have  a  great  favor  to  ask  of  you,"  she  said. 

512 


JACQUELIN   AND   ANDY   PAY   AN   OLD   DEBT     513 

"  Well,  madam,  I  do  not  know  what  I  can  do  for  any- 
one, a  prisoner  like  me,"  said  Jacquelin,  smiling  half- 
grimly,  half-sadly.  "  But  I  think  I  can  say  that  whatever 
I  can  do  I  will  do/* 

"  I  am  sure  you  can.  If  you  cannot,  no  one  can.  I  want 
you  to  intercede  for  me  with  Captain  Allen." 

"  With  Steve  !  For  you  ?  Why,  I  do  not  know  where 
he  is  !  And  I  am  sure  if  he  knew  you  wanted  anything  he 
could  grant,  he  would  do  it  on  your  own  simple  request. 
Who  are  you  ?  " 

The  visitor,  after  a  moment  of  hesitation,  put  back  her 
veil  and  faced  him.  " Don't  you  remember  me?"  she 
asked,  timidly. 

Jacquelin  looked  at  her  earnestly.  For  a  moment  he 
was  deeply  puzzled ;  then,  as  a  faint  smile  came  into  her 
eyes,  a  light  broke  on  him. 

"  Why,  Miss  Bush  !     What  are  you  doing  here  ?" 

"  I  am  teaching  school.  I  am  the  school-teacher  at  the 
Bend,  Miss  May." 

"Is  it  possible?"  He  stepped  forward  and  took  her 
hand  warmly.  "  I  never  knew  it.  I  have  heard  the  name, 
but  I  never  connected  it  with  you.  Why  did  you  not  let 
me  know  before  ?  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  and  I  can  say 
that  anything  in  the  world  I  can  do  for  you  I  will  do." 

"  You  must  not  promise  too  fast.  It  is  a  great  favor  I 
have  to  prefer,"  she  said.  "And  I  do  not  know  whether, 
when  you  hear  it,  you  will  be  willing  to  help  me." 

"Well,  I  know.     I  have  not  forgotten  the  hospital." 

She  appeared  once  more  deterred  from  speaking  by  em- 
barrassment. 

"  I  want  you  to  save  Jonadab  Leech,"  she  said. 

"What !  What  do  you  know  of  him  ?"  asked  Jacque- 
lin, in  sincere  astonishment. 

"  I  know  he  is  alive." 

"  You  do  ?  What  do  you  know  of  him  ?  What  is  he  to 
you?" 

"  He  is — he  was — my  husband." 


514  RED   ROCK 

«  Miss  Bush  ! " 

"  We  were  separated.  But "  She  stopped  in  agita- 
tion, pulled  down  her  veil,  and  turned  her  face  away. 
Jacquelin  watched  her  in  silent  sympathy. 

"  I  am  sure  it  was  his  fault,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,  I  think  it  was,"  brokenly,  from  under  her  veil. 
"  He  was  not  very  kind  to  me.  But  I  cannot  forget  that 
he  was  my  husband,  and  the  father  of  my  child." 

"  I  will  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  Jacquelin  said,  kindly. 
"  Tell  me  how  you  think  I  can  help  him.  What  do  you 
know  of  him  ?  " 

She  composed  herself,  and  told  him  what  she  knew. 
She  knew  where  Leech  was,  and  the  conditions  under 
which  he  was  held.  She  wanted  Jacquelin  to  interfere 
personally.  This  alone  would  save  him,  she  believed. 
The  difficulty  was  to  get  Jacquelin  free.  Here  her  pow- 
ers failed,  and  she  sat  looking  at  Jacquelin  in  hopeless 
anxiety. 

Jacquelin  thought  deeply.     Suddenly  he  roused  himself. 

"  All  right,  Miss  Bush.  I  will  see  what  I  can  do.  You 
are  just  in  time.  The  order  has  come  this  evening,  I  hear, 
for  us  to  go  to  the  city  to-morrow.  I  have  never  asked  a 
favor  of  my  keepers  ;  but  I  will  do  it  for  you,  and,  if  you 
will  wait  in  here,  I  will  let  you  know  if  there  is  any 
chance." 

He  went  out,  leaving  the  little  school-teacher  in  the  dim 
office.  His  first  visit  was  to  his  fellow-prisoner,  Mr.  Stamp- 
er. It  was  an  extraordinary  request  that  he  made  of 
Thurston  a  little  later  :  to  be  allowed  to  leave  his  prison 
for  the  night,  and  take  Andy  Stamper  with  him,  and  to  be 
lent  two  good  horses.  But  it  was  granted.  He  promised 
to  be  back  by  daylight,  and  Thurston  knew  he  would  be 
back. 

"  I  will  be  here,  dead  or  alive,"  said  Jacquelin  ;  and  he 
and  Andy  Stamper  rode  away  in  the  dusk. 

Leech  was  awakened  from  his  slumbers  that  night  by  the 
trampling  of  many  horses  outside,  and  footsteps  and  voices 


JACQUELIN   AND    ANDY   PAY   AN   OLD   DEBT      515 

in  the  rooms  above  him.  He  started  up  in  terror ;  for 
though  he  could  not  catch  anything  that  was  said,  Jie 
knew  from  the  sound  that  there  must  be  many  men  in  the 
party,  and  he  felt  sure  that  his  time  had  come. 

He  rose  and  groped  around  his  chamber.  By  creeping 
up  to  the  chimney  and  listening  intently,  he  could  after 
awhile  distinguish  a  part  of  what  was  said.  To  his  un- 
speakable terror  he  could  hear  his  own  name  mentioned 
again  and  again.  The  men  were  a  body  of  Ku  Klux, 
and  they  were  debating  what  should  be  done  with  him. 
Most  of  the  voices  were  low,  but  now  and  then  one  rose. 
He  heard  one  man  distinctly  give  his  vote  that  he  should 
be  hanged,  and,  judging  from  the  muffled  applause  that 
followed,  it  appeared  to  meet  with  much  favor.  Then  he 
heard  the  name  of  Steve  Allen,  and  the  discussion  seemed 
to  be  heated.  Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  it,  there  was  a 
general  exclamation.  A  door  slammed  ;  a  heavy  tread 
crossed  the  floor  above  him,  and  dead  silence  fell.  It  was 
broken  by  a  single  voice  speaking  in  the  deep  tone  which 
Leech  recognized  instantly  as  Steve  Allen's.  He  gave 
himself  up  for  lost.  But  he  was  astonished  at  the  next 
words  that  caught  his  ear.  Captain  Allen's  voice  was 
clearer  than  the  others,  or  he  was  speaking  louder,  and  to 
the  prisoner's  surprise  he  was  defending  him,  or,  at  least, 
was  opposing  the  others.  He  was  evidently  angry.  Leech 
heard  him  say  he  was  surprised  to  find  them  there  and  to 
learn  why  they  had  come.  There  was  a  confused  murmur 
at  this,  and  Leech  heard  one  voice  calling,  lf  Order! 
Order  !  Remember  your  vows." 

This  produced  quiet,  and  the  voice  said  (evidently 
speaking  to  Captain  Allen)  : 

"It  is  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Council.  We  have 
come  to  take  the  prisoner  and  deal  with  him  according  to 
our  laws." 

"  And  I  tell  you,"  said  Captain  Allen,  his  voice  ringing 
out  clear  and  perfectly  audible,  "  that  I  do  not  recognize 
your  laws,  and  that  you  shall  not  have  him.  He  is  my 


516  RED   BOCK 

prisoner,  and  I  will  defend  him  with  my  life.  You  will 
not  get  him  except  over  my  dead  body." 

There  was  a  suppressed  murmur  at  this,  but  Captain 
Allen  continued,  speaking  firmly  and  boldly.  He  went 
over  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  County,  and  related  his  ob- 
ject in  capturing  Leech  to  hold  him  as  a  hostage  for  his 
friends  and  relatives.  To  do  away  with  him  would  be  to 
destroy  the  very  object  with  which  he  had  taken  him  pris- 
oner, and  would  render  himself  liable  for  his  murder.  This 
he  did  not  propose  to  allow.  He  should  hold  Leech  for 
the  present,  and  meantime  would  be  responsible  for  him; 
and  he  would  allow  no  one  to  touch  a  hair  of  his  head. 

Leech  began  to  breathe  again.  It  was  a  strange  feeling 
to  him  to  be  grateful  to  Steve  Allen  ;  but  at  that  moment 
he  could  have  kissed  his  feet.  There  was  more  talking, 
but.  too  confused  for  Leech  to  catch  what  was  said  ;  and 
whenever  Allen  spoke  it  was  in  the  same  bold  tone,  which 
showed  that  he  remained  firm  ;  and,  at  length,  Leech  could 
hear  the  crowd  going.  They  came  down  outside  the 
house,  and  Leech  could  hear  them  getting  their  horses, 
and,  finally,  they  rode  away.  One  thing,  however,  terrified 
the  prisoner.  The  voices  of  two  men  talking  near  the 
wall  reached  him  from  above.  One  of  them  was  grum- 
bling that  Captain  Allen  should  have  come  and  prevented 
their  carrying  out  their  plan.  Who  was  he,  he  asked,  that 
he  could  come  in  and  defy  the  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Council  ?  He  had  left  the  order,  and  declared  that  he 
did  not  recognize  them  any  longer ;  and  the  speaker  did 
not  like  to  have  him  or  anyone  setting  himself  up  and 
claiming  to  be  above  the  order. 

"  Oh,  never  mind  about  that,"  said  the  other  ;  "  he 
won't  be  here  all  the  time.  We'll  come  back  some  time 
when  he  is  not  here,  and  deal  with  that  dog  as  he  deserves ; 
and  then  Allen  will  find  out  whether  he  is  as  big  as  he 
thinks  himself." 

Just  then  an  order  was  given  by  someone,  and  they  rode 
off,  and  left  Leech  with  the  drops  of  sweat  standing  out 


JACQUELIN    AND   ANDY   PAY    AN   OLD   DEBT      517 

on  his  forehead.  The  sound  of  their  trampling  died  away, 
and  there  fell  a  deep  silence,  broken  for  a  little  while 
by  the  faint  sound  of  a  distant  footstep,  which  Leech  be- 
lieved to  be  that  of  his  captor  and  guard  ;  and  after  a  short 
time  even  this  died  out,  and  Leech  went  back  to  his  bed, 
trembling  with  fright,  and,  finally,  sank  into  a  fitful  slum- 
ber. 

He  had  not  been  asleep  a  great  while  when  there  was 
again  a  sound  of  horses  trampling.  Leech  sprang  up  once 
more,  in  an  agony  of  terror.  He  heard  a  challenge  from 
above — "  Halt,  there  !  " — from  some  one  who  seemed  to  be 
a  guard,  and  then  a  colloquy,  in  which  he  could  distinguish 
his  name ;  and  then  his  guard  seemed  to  yield.  After  a 
short  interval  he  heard  the  footsteps  of  several  men  com- 
ing down  the  stair  that  led  to  his  door,  and  there  was  a 
short  consultation  outside.  He  heard  someone  say,  "  This 
is  the  place  Steve  said  he  is  in  ;  I  know  it." 

They  tried  the  door,  and  then  a  voice  called  him, 
"Leech,  Leech — Colonel  Leech  I"  He  was  afraid  to  an- 
swer. He  was  almost  dead  with  fright.  It  called  again  ; 
and  this  time  he  was  glad  he  had  not  answered,  for  he 
heard  one  of  the  men  say,  "  He  forgot  to  give  me  the  key. 
We'll  break  in  the  door.  Wait,  I'll  get  an  axe." 

He  went  up  the  stair,  and  Leech  could  hear  the  other 
waiting  outside.  Leech  was  sure  now  that  his  last  hour 
had  come.  In  his  terror  he  ran  to  the  chimney  and  at- 
tempted to  climb  up  in  it.  It  was  too  narrow,  however  ; 
and  all  he  could  do  was  to  get  up  in  it  a  little  way  and 
draw  np  his  feet.  Here  he  stuck,  wedged  in,  paralyzed 
with  terror,  while  he  heard  the  blows  outside  under  which 
the  door  was  giving  way. 

Presently  the  door  was  smashed  in,  and  Leech  could  see 
the  light  of  the  torch,  or  whatever  it  was,  flashed  upon 
the  floor,  and  could  hear  the  voices  of  the  men. 

"He  isn't  in  here/'  he  heard  one  say,  and  his  heart  re- 
vived a  little  ;  but  the  next  second  it  sank,  for  he  heard 
the  searchers  say,  "  There  is  his  bed.  He  has  been  in  it ; 


518  BED   ROCK 

so  he  must  be  here  somewhere."  They  approached  the 
chimney,  and  one  of  them  held  his  torch  up. 

"Here  he  is/'  he  laughed.     "Come  out,  Colonel." 

He  did  not  wait  for  Leech  to  move,  but,  reaching  up, 
caught  him  by  the  leg  and  pulled  him  down  amid  a  cloud 
of  dust  and  soot.  Leech  must  have  presented  a  strange  ap- 
pearance, for  the  men,  who  were  masked,  burst  out  laugh- 
ing. Leech  began  to  pray  for  his  life,  but  the  men  only 
laughed. 

"  Come  on,  Colonel.  We'll  present  you  to  your  friends  as 
you  are,"  said  one  of  them,  the  smaller.  "  You  ought  to 
be  pleased  with  your  looks,  for  you  look  just  like  one  of 
your  friends.  You  wouldn't  know  yourself  from  a  nigger." 

Leech  recognized  Andy  Stamper,  and  knew  he  was  lost. 
Andy  had  escaped.  He  began  to  beg  him,  and  to  make  him 
all  sorts  of  promises,  which  Andy  cut  short. 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  Come  along.  Shut  up.  This  is  no  time 
for  you  to  be  making  promises.  Come  along,  and  keep 
your  mouth  shut." 

They  seized  him,  and  dragged  him  up  the  steps  and 
through  a  door  out  into  the  darkness.  There,  at  a  little 
distance,  were  two  horses,  on  one  of  which  Andy  Stamper 
sprang,  while  the  other  man  made  Leech  mount  up  be- 
hind him  ;  and  then,  springing  on  the  other  horse  himself, 
they  set  off  at  a  sharp  trot.  As  they  mounted,  Leech  rec- 
ognized Jacquelin  Gray.  He  nearly  fell  from  his  horse. 

As  they  followed  wood-paths  he  began  to  have  a  dim 
hope  ;  not  much,  however,  for  he  could  not  think  that 
these  two  men  could  intend  him  any  good.  Once,  as  they 
were  on  a  road,  the  sound  of  horses'  feet  ahead  reached 
them,  and  the  two  riders  instantly  left  the  road  and  struck 
into  the  bushes. 

"  If  you  get  out  of  this,"  said  Andy  Stamper,  "and  get 
back  safe  to  your  friends,  will  you  swear  you'll  never  say  a 
word  about  it  to  anybody  ?  Never  a  single ?  " 

"  Yes,  I'll  swear.  I  swear  before "  said  the  prisoner, 

so  quickly  that  the  other  had  not  time  to  finish  his  question. 


JACQUELIN  AND  ANDY  PAY   AN   OLD   DEBT     519 

"That  you  will  never  tell  anyone  a  word  about  this 
place,  or  how  you  got  here,  or  how  you  were  taken,  or  any- 
thing?" 

"  Yes,  yes.  I  swear  before  G — d  I  never  will — never  a 
word.  I  swear  I  won't." 

t(  Let's  see.  How  will  you  swear  it  ?  "  asked  the  other, 
reflectively. 

"  I'll  swear  it  on  the  Bible.  I'll  swear  on  a  stack  of 
Bibles." 

"  We  ain't  got  any  Bibles,"  said  the  other,  dryly. 

"  I'll  give  you  my  word  of  honor  as  a  gentleman." 

The  other  only  grunted.     He  was  not  much  impressed. 

"  I'll  swear  before " 

Mr.  Stamper  suddenly  roused  up  to  the  necessities  of 
the  occasion. 

' '  Here,"  he  said,  quickly.  "  Do  you  swear  that,  if  you 
ever  breathe  a  word  as  to  how  you  got  here,  who  brought 
you,  or  who  took  you  away,  or  anything  you  saw  here,  or 
anything  about  the  place  at  all,  you  hope  G — d  will  strike 
you  dead,  and  d — n  you  in  h — 1  fire  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I'll  swear  it,"  said  Leech,  fervently.  "  I  hope 
he  will  d — n  me  forever  if  I  do." 

"  And  strike  you  dead  ?  "  repeated  Andy,  not  to  admit 
any  loophole. 

"Yes." 

' '  If  that  don't  keep  him  nothin'  will,"  said  Andy,  dryly, 
half -aloud;  and  then  he  added,  for  further  security  :  "  Well, 
you'd  better  keep  it,  for  if  you  don't,  the  earth  won't  be  big 
enough  to  hide  you.  You  won't  have  another  chance." 

As  they  waited,  a  body  of  horsemen,  heavily  muffled,  rode 
silently  along  the  road  they  had  just  left,  and  passed  out  of 
sight  into  the  woods  behind  them.  It  was  a  body  of  Ku 
Klux  making  their  way  back  home,  or,  perhaps,  back  to 
the  house  from  which  Leech  had  just  been  taken.  The 
two  rescuers  rode  on  and  at  length  emerged  into  a  field, 
and,  crossing  it,  dismounted  behind  a  clump  of  buildings. 

The  eastern  sky  was  just  beginning  to  redden  with  the 


520  RED  ROCK 

first  glimmer  of  dawn ;  and  the  cheep  of  a  bird  announcing 
it  was  heard  in  the  trees  as  the  men  tied  their  horses. 

"  Come  on,"  said  Andy.  te  In  a  little  while  yon  can 
make  your  promises."  They  led  Leech  between  them,  half- 
dead  with  fright  and  fatigue,  and,  helping  him  over  a  wall, 
dragged  him  up  to  a  door,  and,  opening  it,  walked  in. 

"  Who's  that  ?  "  asked  a  man,  rising  from  a  sofa,  where 
he  had  evidently  been  asleep. 

"  Here  we  are  ;  back  on  time,"  said  Jacquelin,  gravely. 

"Ah  I  you've  got  back?  Wait.  I'll  strike  a  light. 
Who's  this  with  you  ?  " 

"  A  prisoner,"  said  Andy,  with  mock  solemnity;  "but 
whether  white  or  black  you'll  have  to  tell." 

The  man  struck  a  light,  and  Leech,  to  his  astonishment, 
found  himself  in  the  presence  of  a  Federal  officer — of 
Reely  Thurston. 

The  two  men  stared  at  each  other  in  blank  amazement. 
And  it  is  probable  that,  if  at  that  moment  their  happiness 
in  finding  their  chief  wish  gratified  could  have  been  marred, 
it  would  have  been  by  the  fact  that  they  owed  this  to  each 
other.  Perhaps  something  of  this  kind  must  have  appeared 
in  their  faces,  for  Jacquelin  laughed. 

' f  Well,  you  two  can  settle  matters  between  you.  We  are 
off — to  jail,"  he  said.  "  Now,  Major  Leech,  you  can  make 
good  your  promises  ;  and  it  will  depend  on  whether  you  see 
fit  to  do  so  or  not,  whether  we  have  done  a  good  act  or  not. 
Good-night."  He  and  Andy  went  off. 

The  next  day  the  prisoners  were  sent  to  the  city  u,nder 
Captain  Thurston's  personal  guard,  the  little  Captain,  for 
his  own  private  reasons,  deciding  to  take  them  himself. 
Leech  accompanied  them. 


CHAPTER   XLI 

DR.  GARY   WRITES  A   LETTER  TO   AN   OLD   FRIEND 

THE  vows  of  a  considerable  part  of  the  human  race  are 
said  to  be  writ  in  water,  but  it  is  by  no  means  only  that 
sex  to  whom  the  poet  has  attributed  this  quality,  which 
possesses  it.  Quite  another  part  of  the  race  is  liable  to 
forget  vows  made  under  conditions  that  have  changed. 
And  Major  Leech  was  of  this  number.  He  no  sooner 
found  himself  free  and  guarded  by  a  power  strong  enough 
to  protect  him  than  he  forgot  the  oaths  he  had  sworn 
so  volubly  to  Andy  Stamper  that  night  when  he  stood 
in  the  darkness  of  the  deserted  plantation  ;  and  he  ap- 
plied himself  with  all  his  energy  to  repair  his  fortunes 
and  revenge  himself.  His  enemies  were  in  his  power. 
With  them  free  he  might  have  to  undergo  trial  himself  ; 
with  them  under  indictment  for  offences  against  the  Gov- 
ernment, even  if  they  were  not  convicted,  he  was  free  to 
push  forward  his  plans.  It  was  too  great  a  temptation  for 
him  to  resist,  too  good  an  opportunity  for  him  to  pass  by ; 
and  perhaps  even  Andy  Stamper  did  not  blame  him,  or 
even  expect  him  to  forego  it. 

The  story  the  returned,  captive  told  of  his  wrongs  was 
one  strange  enough  to  move  hearts  even  less  inclined  to 
espouse  his  cause  than  those  of  the  authorities  into  whose 
ears  he  poured  it,  and  almost  immediately  after  his  arrival 
the  machinery  of  the  law  was  set  in  motion.  His  grudge 
against  Captain  Thurston  was  as  great  as  that  against  the 
residents  of  the  County — indeed  greater  ;  for  he  professed 
some  gratitude  for  Jacquelin  Gray  and  Stamper,  and  even 

521 


522  KED   KOCK 

had  an  offer  made  them  of  a  sort  of  pardon,  conditional  on 
their  making  a  full  confession  of  their  crimes.  But  inves- 
tigation showed  him  that  for  the  present  he  would  weaken 
himself  by  attempting  to  attack  Thurston.  Thurston  had 
secured  his  release.  So  for  the  time  being  he  was  content 
to  leave  the  Captain  alone,  and  apply  all  his  energies  to 
the  prosecution  of  the  enemies  against  whom  he  was  as- 
sured of  success. 

In  a  little  while  he  had  his  grand  jury  assembled,  and 
the  prisoners  were  all  indicted.  An  early  time  was  set  for 
their  trial.  Dr.  Gary  was  among  those  indicted. 

In  this  state  of  the  case,  it  appeared  to  the  Doctor  that 
the  time  had  come  when  he  could  no  longer  with  pro- 
priety refrain  from  applying  for  help  to  his  old  friend, 
Senator  Rockfield,  who  had  asked  him  to  call  on  him.  It 
was  no  longer  a  private  matter,  but  a  public  one.  It  was 
not  himself  alone  that  was  concerned,  but  his  nearest 
friends  and  neighbors ;  and  in  such  a  case  he  could  no 
longer  stand  on  his  pride.  Already  the  prison  was  in 
view ;  and  the  path  seemed  very  straight,  and  the  way  of 
escape  seemed  blocked  on  every  side.  Step  by  step  they 
had  been  dragged  along ;  every  avenue  shut  off ;  all  the 
old  rights  refused  ;  and  it  looked  as  if  they  were  doomed. 

So  Dr.  Gary  sat  down  in  prison  and  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
old  college-mate,  setting  forth  the  situation  in  which  he 
found  himself  and  his  friends,  giving  him  a  complete 
statement  of  the  case  and  of  all  the  circumstances  relating 
to  it,  and  asked  that,  if  in  his  power,  the  Senator  would 
help  him. 

He  told  him  that  unless  some  action  were  taken  prompt- 
ly he  saw  no  escape,  and  that  he  seemed  doomed  to  a 
felon's  cell.  The  Doctor  told  his  friend  that,  while  he 
had  been  present  for  a  little  while  with  the  masked  mob 
that  broke  into  the  jail,  he  had  been  so  for  the  purpose  of 
trying  to  dissuade  them  from  any  act  of  lawlessness  ;  and 
the  part  he  had  taken  could  be  proved  by  a  hundred  wit- 
nesses. But  all  those  who  had  been  arrested  were  indicted 


DR.    CARY  WRITES  TO   AN   OLD  FRIEND         523 

with  him,  which  would  prevent  their  testifying  for  him ; 
and  if  any  others  were  to  come  forward  to  testify,  they 
would  simply  subject  themselves  to  immediate  arrest. 

"  I  can  give  you  no  idea,"  he  wrote,  "  of  the  condition 
of  affairs  here,  and  shall  offer  no  proof  except  my  word. 
Unless  you  and  I  have  changed  since  we  knew  each  other 
man  to  man  in  that  old  time  long  ago,  no  other  proof  will 
be  necessary  ;  yet  if  I  should  attempt  to  give  you  a  true 
picture,  I  should  strain  your  credulity. 

"  I  think  I  can  say,  with  Cicero,  it  is  not  my  crimes, 
but  my  virtues  that  have  destroyed  me. 

"  But  if  you  wish  to  know  the  whole  state  of  the  case,  I 
would  ask  you  to  come  down  and  see  for  yourself.  Un- 
fortunately I  shall  not  be  able  personally  to  extend  to  you 
the  hospitality  of  my  home  ;  but  if  you  will  go  to  my  house, 
my  wife  and  daughter  will  show  you  every  attention,  and 
do  everything  in  their  power  to  promote  your  comfort. 

"  Lying  in  jail  as  I  am,  under  indictment  for  a  scan- 
dalous crime,  with  the  penitentiary  staring  me  in  the  face, 
I  perhaps  should  not  sign  myself  as  I  do  ;  yet  when  I  call 
to  mind  the  long  and  distinguished  line  of  men  of  virtue 
who  have  suffered  the  same  fate,  and  reflect  on  my  own 
consciousness  of  integrity,  I  believe  you  would  not  have 
me  subscribe  myself  otherwise  than  as, 

"  Your  old  friend,  JOHN  GARY." 

This  letter  reached  Senator  Eockfield  at  an  auspicious 
time,  one  evening  after  dinner,  when  he  was  resting 
quietly  at  home,  enjoying  a  good  cigar,  and  when  his 
heart  was  mellow.  It  happened  that  certain  measures 
were  pending  just  then,  to  secure  which  the  Senator's  in- 
fluence was  greatly  desired.  It  also  happened  that  a  num- 
ber of  other  measures  of  a  very  radical  character  had  late- 
ly been  proposed ;  and.  the  Senator  had  gone  somewhat 
deeply  into  the  subject,  with  the  result  of  unearthing  an 
appalling  state  of  affairs  in  the  whole  section  from  which 
this  letter  came.  Moreover,  Captain  Middleton  happened 


524  BED   ROOK 

to  be  at  the  Senator's  house  at  that  very  time,  and  added 
certain  details  to  those  the  Senator  had  learned,  which 
stirred  the  Senator  deeply. 

The  Senator's  part  in  the  release  of  the  prisoners  that 
shortly  followed  Dr.  Gary's  letter  was  not  known  even  to 
Dr.  Gary  for  some  time,  and  was  never  known  generally. 

Senator  Kockfield  read  Dr.  Gary's  letter  all  through 
twice,  and  then  leaned  back  in  his  big  chair  and  thought 
profoundly.  The  letter  dropped  from  his  hand  to  the 
floor,  and  his  cigar  went  out.  His  wife,  seeing  that  some- 
thing was  moving  him  deeply,  watched  him  anxiously, 
and  at  length  asked:  "What  is  it?"  For  answer,  the 
Senator  merely  picked  up  the  letter,  handed  it  to  her  across 
the  table,  and  again  sat  back  in  deep  thought.  She  read 
it,  and  looked  at  him  more  anxiously  than  before,  her  face 
paling  somewhat.  His  face,  which  before  had  been  soft 
with  reminiscence,  had  grown  stern.  He  was  conscious 
that  she  was  looking  at  him,  and  conscious  of  her  thoughts 
as  she  was  of  his.  Suddenly  he  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  she  asked,  though  in  reality 
she  knew. 

"  To  send  a  telegram." 

"IwillcallJohn." 

"  No,  I  am  going  to  see  Secretary " 

He  folded  the  letter  and  put  it  into  his  pocket.  At  the 
mention  of  the  name,  the  light  sprang  into  her  eyes — the 
light  of  contest.  She  knew  that  it  would  be  a  crucial  in- 
terview, and  that  her  husband's  future  would  depend  on  it. 

"  Shall  I  ring  for  the  carriage  ?  " 

"No,  I  will  walk.  I  want  to  cool  myself  off  a  little." 
He  stopped  as  he  reached  the  door.  "  He  was  the  first 
gentleman  of  our  class,"  he  said.  He  went  out. 

A  half-hour  later,  Senator  Eockfield  was  admitted  to 
the  study  or  private  office  of  the  Secretary  who  had  the 
direction  of  matters  affecting  the  South  and  who  controlled 
everything  which  related  to  it. 

He  was    a  man  of    iron  constitution,   a    tremendous 


DR.    GARY    WRITES   TO   ATT   OLD   FRIEND         525 

worker,  and  his  study  at  his  home  was  only  a  private  apart- 
ment of  his  office  in  the  great  Government  building  in 
which  he  presided.  His  ambition  was  to  preside  in  a 
greater  building,  over  the  whole  Government.  He  gave  his 
life  to  it.  Every  other  consideration  was  subordinated.  It 
was  a  proof  of  the  Senator's  influence  that  he  was  admitted 
to  see  him  at  that  hour.  And  at  the  instant  he  appeared 
the  Secretary  was  busy  writing  a  momentous  document. 
As  the  Senator  entered,  however,  he  shot  a  swift,  keen 
glance  at  him,  and  his  face  lit  up.  He  took  his  appear- 
ance at  that  hour  as  a  proof  that  he  had  yielded,  or,  at 
least,  was  yielding. 

"  Ah  !  Senator.  Glad  to  see  you,"  he  said,  with  a  smile 
which  he  could  make  gracious.  "  I  was  just  thinking  of 
you.  I  hope  I  may  consider  }^our  visit  a  token  of  peace  ; 
that  you  recognize  the  wisdom  of  our  position." 

He  was  speaking  lightly,  but  the  Senator  did  not  re- 
spond in  the  same  vein.  His  face  did  not  relax. 

"  No,  far  from  it,"  he  said.  Without  noticing  the  chair 
to  which  the  Secretary  waved  him,  he  took  Dr.  Gary's  letter 
from  his  pocket  and  laid  it  on  the  table  under  the  Secre- 
tary's nose.  "  Eead  that." 

The  Secretary's  face  clouded.  He  took  up  the  letter  and 
glanced  at  it ;  then  began  to  read  it  cursorily.  As  he  did 
so  his  face  assumed  another  expression. 

"  Well,  what  of  this  ?"  he  asked,  coldly.  He  looked  at 
the  Senator  superciliously.  His  manner  and  the  sneer  on 
his  face  were  like  a  blow.  The  Senator's  face  flushed. 

"  Just  this.  That  I  say  this  thing  has  got  to  stop,  by 
G — d  ! "  He  towered  above  the  Secretary  and  looked  him 
full  in  the  eyes.  He  did  not  often  show  feeling.  When  he 
did  he  was  impressive.  A  change  passed  over  the  other's  face. 

"And  if  it  don't  ?" 

"  I  shall  rise  in  my  seat  to-morrow  morning  and  de- 
nounce the  whole  administration.  I  shall  turn  the  whole 
influence  of  my  paper  against  you,  and  shall  fight  you  to 
the  end." 


526  KED   ROCK 

"  Oh  !  yon  won't  be  so  foolish  !  "  sneered  the  Secretary. 

"  I  will  not  !  Wait  and  see  !  "  He  leant  over  and  took 
up  the  paper.  "  I  bid  you  good-evening."  He  put  on  his 
hat  and  turned  to  the  door.  Before  he  reached  it,  how- 
ever, the  other  had  reflected. 

"  Wait.     Don't  be  so  hasty." 

The  Senator  paused.  The  Secretary  had  risen  and  was 
following  him. 

"  My  dear  Senator,  let  me  reason  with  you.  I  think  if 
you  give  me  ten  minutes,  I  can  show  you  the  folly " 

Senator  Rockfield  stiffened.  "  Good-evening,  Mr. 
Secretary."  He  turned  back  to  the  door. 

"  Hold  on,  Senator,  I  beg  you,"  said  the  Secretary. 
The  Senator  turned,  this  time  impatiently.  "  What 
guarantee  have  I  that  this  letter  is  true  ? "  asked  the 
other,  temporizing. 

"My  word.  I  was  at  college  with  the  writer  of  that 
letter.  He  was  my  dearest  friend." 

"  Oh  !  of  course,  if  you  know  yourself  that  those  facts 
are  correct !  Why  did  you  not  say  so  before  ?  Take  a 
seat  while  I  read  the  paper  over  again." 

The  Senator  seated  himself  without  a  word,  while  the 
Secretary  read  the  letter  a  second  time.  Presently  Senator 
Rockfield  leant  over  and  lit  again  the  cigar  he  had  let  go 
out  an  hour  before,  and  which  he  had  carried  all  this  time 
without  being  aware  of  it.  He  knew  he  had  won  his  game. 

When  the  Secretary  was  through,  he  laid  the  letter  down 
and,  drawing  a  sheet  of  paper  toward  him,  began  to  write. 

"When  do  you  want  the  order  issued?"  he  asked, 
presently. 

"  Immediately.     I  am  going  South  to-night." 

"It  will  not  be  necessary.  I  will  issue  an  order  at  once 
that  the  prisoners  be  admitted  to  bail.  In  fact,  I  had  in- 
tended to  do  so  in  a  few  days,  anyhow/' 

The  Senator  looked  politely  acquiescent. 

"But  I  am  very  glad  to  do  it  at  once,  at  your  request. 
You  see,  we  are  obliged  to  rely  on  the  reports  of  our  agents 


DR.   GARY   WRITES  TO  AN   OLD   FRIEND         527 

down  there ;  and  they  report  things  to  be  in  a  very  bad 
way/' 

The  Senator  looked  grimly  amused. 

"  No  doubt  they  are/' 

"  I  will  send  you  a  copy  of  the  order  to-morrow.  I 
hope  you  will  take  it  as  a  proof  that  we  really  are  not  quite 
as  bad  as  you  appear  to  think  us/'  He  began  to  write 
again. 

The  two  men  parted  ceremoniously,  and  the  Senator, 
after  sending  a  telegram  South,  returned  to  his  home. 

As  he  entered,  he  found  his  wife  anxiously  awaiting 
him. 

"  I  won,"  he  said,  and  she  threw  herself  into  his  arms. 

The  effect  of  this  interview  was  immediately  felt  in  the 
old  County,  and  after  a  short  time  Dr.  Cary  and  the  other 
prisoners  confined  with  him  were  admitted  to  bail,  and 
eventually  the  prosecutions  were  dismissed.  But  this  was 
not  until  after  the  event  about  to  be  recorded. 


CHAPTER  XLII 

CAPTAIN  ALLEN  SURRENDERS 

THE  effect  of  Leech's  return  to  power  was  soon  visible, 
and  the  gloom  in  the  old  County  was  never  so  deep  as  it 
became  after  that.  The  failure  of  Steve's  daring  and 
high-handed  step  but  intensified  this.  It  appeared  as  if  a 
complete  overthrow  had  come  at  last. 

As  is  often  the  case  when  unexpected  failure  has  come 
to  brilliant  and  promising  plans,  popular  opinion  veered 
suddenly ;  and  whereas,  but  a  little  before,  all  were 
full  of  wonder  at  Steve  Allen's  daring  coup,  now  that  it 
had  failed  many  were  inclined  to  blame  him.  He  ought 
either  to  have  let  the  Ku  Klux,  who,  it  was  understood, 
had  tried  to  get  hold  of  Leech,  deal  with  him,  or  else  have 
let  him  alone.  Now  he  had  but  intensified  his  malice, 
as  was  shown  by  the  rancor  with  which  he  was  pushing 
the  prosecutions.  He  had  given  Leech  a  national  reputa- 
tion, and  increased  his  power  to  do  harm. 

Captain  Allen  was  deeply  offended  by  some  of  the  things 
said  about  him  by  certain  of  the  members  of  the  secret  so- 
ciety, and  he  met  them  with  fierce  denunciation  of  the 
whole  order.  It  was,  he  said,  no  longer  the  old  organiza- 
tion which,  he  asserted,  had  acted  for  the  public  good,  and 
with  a  high  purpose.  That  had  ceased  to  exist.  This  was 
a  cowardly  body  of  cut- throats,  who  rode  about  the  coun- 
try under  cover  of  darkness,  perpetrating  all  sorts  of  out- 
rages and  villainies  for  purposes  of  private  vengeance.  He 
gave  them  to  understand  clearly  that  he  was  not  afraid  of 
them,  and  denounced  and  defied  the  whole  gang. 

But  one  thing  Steve  could  not  meet  so  well.  He  could 
528 


CAPTAIN   ALLEN   SURRENDERS  529 

not  meet  the  charge  that  his  wild  and  reckless  act  in  carry- 
ing Leech  off  had,  in  the  sequel,  done  harm,  and  had  in- 
tensified the  hostility  shown  to  the  old  County,  and  in- 
creased the  rigor  with  which  the  citizens  were  treated. 
Even  the  friends  who  adhered  stoutly  to  him  were  forced 
to  admit  that,  as  it  turned  out,  his  carrying  Leech  off  was 
unfortunate.  The  downcast  looks  and  the  gloom  that  ap- 
pealed everywhere  told  him  how  deeply  the  people  were 
suffering.  Another  thing  stuck  deeper  in  his  heart.  He 
was  at  liberty  and  his  friends  in  prison.  Jacquelin  was 
in  prison  under  indictment  when  he  had  taken  his  place, 
and  but  for  him  would  be  a  free  man. 

Steve  had  thought  at  times  of  leaving  the  State  and  go- 
ing West.  Rupert's  career  there  showed  what  might  be 
accomplished.  But  this  idea  passed  away  now  in  the  stress 
of  the  present  crisis.  He  would  not  leave  the  State  in  the 
hour  of  her  darkness.  He  could  not  leave  his  friends.  It 
would  be  desertion. 

Another  cause  of  anxiety  began  to  make  itself  apparent 
to  Captain  Allen  about  the  same  time.  He  knew,  as  the 
reader  knows,  that  Captain  Aurelius  Tlmrston  had  long 
been  an  ardent,  if  a  somewhat  intermittent,  suitor  of  Miss 
"Welch  ;  though  his  information  was  derived,  not  from  the 
cold  statement  of  the  chronicler,  but  through  those  intui- 
tions with  which  a  lover  appears  to  be  endowed  for  his 
self-torture  as  well  as  for  his  security.  Miss  Euth,  it  is 
true,  had  denied  the  charge,  made  from  time  to  time, 
respecting  Captain  Thurston  ;  but  we  know  that  these  de- 
nials are  frequently  far  short  of  satisfying  a  lover's  jeal- 
ousy. And  it  must  be  confessed  that  she  had  never  taken 
the  trouble  to  state  to  Captain  Allen  the  explicit  and 
somewhat  decisive  conditions  under  which  she  had  con- 
sented to  continue  the  friendship. 

Captain  Thurston,  thus  cut  off  from  his  habitual  occu- 
pation in  that  quarter,  shortly  after  his  arrival,  as  has 
been  seen,  went  back  to  his  old  flame,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Dockett,  and  was  soon  as  deeply  immersed  in  that  affair 
34 


530  RED    ROCK 

as  he  had  ever  been  with  Miss  Welch.  As  Miss  Elizabeth, 
however,  treated  him  with  unexampled  rigor,  and  Mrs. 
Dockett  never  for  an  instant  permitted  him  to  forget  that 
he  was  occupying  the  position  of  a  tyrant,  the  Captain 
found  himself  obliged  to  seek  at  times  the  aid  of  a  friendly 
ally,  and  turned  for  consolation  to  Miss  Welch,  who  cheer- 
fully rendered  him  in  another's  behalf  all  the  service  she 
had  declined  in  her  o*wn.  Thus  the  little  Captain  'was 
much  more  welcome  at  the  Welches'  home  than  he  had 
ever  been  before,  and  rumor  was  kind  enough  to  declare 
that  his  attentions  were  far  from  being  unacceptable.  His 
duties  at  the  court-house,  as  Commandant  of  the  County, 
were  sufficient  to  account  for  all  'the  time  he  spent  there, 
including  whatever  hours  he  passed  at  the  old  Dockett 
place  among  the  trees  and  lilacs,  while  his  presence  at  the 
Welches'  could  only  be  attributed  to  one  cause. 

This  report  reached  Captain  Allen,  lounging  on  the 
verandas  of  his  friends,  and  it  did  not  serve  to  make  his 
life  as  a  refugee  and  exile  more  agreeable. 

Matters  were  in  this  condition  when  the  news  came  that 
the  next  week  had  been  set  as  the  time  for  the  trial  of  the 
Red  Rock  prisoners.  Judge  Bail  had  already  arrived,  ac- 
companied by  McRaffle.  A  special  jury  was  being  selected, 
and  the  witnesses  were  being  summoned.  They  were  a  set 
to  make  the  outlook  as  dark  as  possible — Bushman,  and 
Perdue,  and  Dr.  Moses,  and  a  score  of  the  worst  negroes 
in  the  County.  Captain  Allen  knew  that  Leech  had  said 
he  would  rather  have  him  than  all  the  other  prisoners  put 
together.  And  at  length  came  a  definite  statement  that 
Leech  would  abandon  the  other  prosecutions  if  Allen 
would  surrender  himself  and  stand  trial.  It  had  come 
through  McRaffle,  who  claimed  to  have  secured  this  con- 
cession. 

Next  day,  Steve  rode  down  to  the  court-house,  and, 
giving  his  horse  to  a  negro,  with  directions  to  send  him 
to  Dr.  Cary's,  walked  across  to  Captain  Thurston's  camp. 
A  number  of  his  friends  saw  him,  and  came  crowding  up 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   SURRENDERS  531 

with  wonder  and  curiosity  in  their  faces.  Steve  spoke  to 
them  cheerily,  stopped  and  chatted  lightly  for  awhile, 
and  then  left  them  and  walked  quietly  across  the  green  to 
the  camp,  leaving  them  staring  after  him  open-eyed  and 
with  anxious  faces.  He  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  office 
which  was  the  Captain's  head-quarters,  and,  on  being  bid 
to  enter,  opened  the  door. 

Perhaps  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  world  whom  Eeely 
Thurston  would  not  rather  have  seen  at  that  moment  than 
Steve  Allen.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  as  Steve  entered,  and 
stared  at  him  in  blank  amazement.  He  had  no  idea  why 
he  had  come,  and,  for  an  instant,  perhaps,  supposed  it  was 
with  hostile  intent.  This  idea,  however,  Steve  at  once 
dissipated  by  his  manner. 

"  Good-morning,  Captain  Thurston/'  He  held  out  his 
hand,  and,  having  shaken  hands  with  the  Captain,  flung 
himself  into  a  seat. 

"  Give  me  a  cigar.  I  have  come  to  have  a  talk  with 
you/'  he  said,  lightty.  Thurston  handed  him  a  cigar  and 
lit  one  himself,  his  face  perplexed  and  a  little  troubled  as 
he  pondered  on  what  could  possibly  have  brought  him  this 
visitor.  Steve  saw  his  perplexity  and  smiled. 

"  I  have  come  to  see  what  terms  I  can  make  through 
you,  Captain,  before  I  give  myself  up." 

"  Wait.  I  am  not  authorized  to  make  any  terms.  I 
must  notify  you "  Thurston  was  beginning  very  seri- 
ously. But  Steve  interrupted  him. 

"  I  did  not  say  with  you,  but  through  you.  I  would 
not  place  you  in  such  an  embarrassing  position.  I  sup- 
pose you  would  not  mind  seeing  what  terms  you  could 
make  with  your  friend,  Colonel  Leech."  Thurston  flushed. 

"  He  is  no  friend  of  mine,"  he  said,  hotly. 

"Oh,  I  thought  you  had  made  up,"  said  Steve,  mali- 
ciously. ' '  Well,  he  will  be  if  you  give  me  up  to  him. 
But  I  thought  you  might  make  a  little  better  terms  for 
me  than  I  could  for  myself,  as  he  seems  to  prefer  the  city 
to  the  country  just  now,  and  I  fear  a  communication  from 


532  RED    ROCK 

me  would  not  meet  with  the  consideration  at  his  hands 
that  the  closeness  of  our  intimacy  a  short  time  since 
should  secure  for  it." 

"  What  the  d — 1  are  you  driving  at,  Allen  ? "  asked 
Thurston.  "  You  know  what  I  think  of  Leech,  and  how 
he  regards  me.  But  that  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  I 
am  sent  here  to  catch — to  apprehend  you — and  if  I  do  my 
duty  I  should  have  you  arrested." 

"  Of  course,  Captain  Thurston,  do  your  duty,"  said 
Steve,  coolly,  his  face  hardening  a  little  and  his  upper  lip 
curling  slightly. 

"  No,  no,  Allen.  I  did  not  mean  it  that  way.  I  am  only 
trying  to  get  at  what  you  want.  I  am  a  little  mystified." 

His  evident  friendliness  soothed  Steve's  feelings,  which 
had  been  ruffled  by  his  former  speech. 

"  I  want  to  see  whether  I  would  not  be  accepted  as  a 
propitiatory  offering  in  place  of  my  friends — of  others 
who  have  done  nothing,  and  deserve  no  punishment.  I 
am  the  head  and  front  of  the  whole  business.  I  am  re- 
sponsible for  all  they  are  charged  with,  and  they  are  not. 
And  I  want  to  get  them  released,  and  give  myself  up  in 
their  place." 

Thurston  looked  deeply  troubled.  He  shook  his  head 
thoughtfully. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  arrest  you.  I  must  say  that  you  are 
the  last  person  in  the  world  that  I  wanted  to  see.  But  if 
you  stay  here,  I  must  arrest  you.  If,  however,  you  came 
here  with  any  idea  that  I  would — I  mean,  that  I  could — 
make  terms  with  you,  I  do  not  wish  to  take  advantage  of 
your  mistake.  There  is  a  door.  You  can  walk  out  of  it 
while  I  go  and  call  the  sergeant  of  the  guard." 

Steve  shook  his  head. 

"  No,  no.  I  am  going  to  give  myself  up,  anyhow.  It 
is  the  only  thing  I  can  do  to  help  them.  Perhaps,  if  these 
scoundrels  get  me,  they  may  let  the  others  off.  I  am  the 
one  they  are  after.  But  I  want  you  to  assist  me.  You  are 
a  gentleman,  and  can  appreciate  my  position." 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   SURRENDERS  533 

Thurston  looked  at  him  a  moment,  and  then  reached  out 
his  hand. 

"Allen,  I  promise  you  I  will  do  all  I  can." 

The  two  men  shook  hands  across  the  table ;  and  Steve, 
settling  himself  comfortably,  gave  Thurston  an  account 
of  all  that  had  taken  place  between  himself  and  Leech 
the  night  of  his  capture,  and  between  himself  and  the 
band  of  Ku  Klux  the  night  they  had  come  to  take 
Leech  from  the  place  where  he  had  confined  him.  He 
showed  Thurston  that  he  had  known  of  the  plan  to  rescue 
him. 

"  But  why  did  you  carry  him  off  ?  "  asked  Thurston. 
"I  can  understand  all  the  rest ;  but  I  do  not  see  how  a 
man  of  your  sense  could  have  supposed  that  you  could  ac- 
complish anything  by  such  an  act." 

"It  was  to  gain  time,  Captain  Thurston,  and  to  tide 
over  a  crisis  ;  and  that  it  did.  You  do  not  know  how  des- 
perate we  are.  Let  me  explain.  But  for  that,  Dr.  John 
Gary  and  Jacquelin  Gray  would  to-day  be  wearing  convict 
suits.  Leech  had  already  appointed  the  time  for  that.  I 
tided  over  that  crisis." 

He  went  on,  and  gave  Thurston  an  account  of  all  that 
had  taken  place  in  the  County  under  Leech's  regime  since 
Thurston  had  left.  It  opened  the  young  officer's  eyes,  and, 
when  Steve  was  through,  Thurston's  face  was  filled  with  a 
new  sympathy. 

"  Allen,  I  will  do  all  I  can  for  you,"  he  said,  again.  And 
he  did.  He  wrote  to  Middleton  and  his  friends. 

The  news  that  Steve  Allen  had  surrendered  himself 
caused  the  greatest  commotion  not  only  there,  but  through- 
out the  rest  of  the  State.  Even  far  outside  the  South  it 
was  regarded  as  a  most  important  incident ;  and  the  news- 
papers declared  that  it  was  the  signal  of  a  complete  col- 
lapse of  the  opposition  to  the  Government.  Steve  was 
represented  as  every  species  of  brigand,  from  the  sneaking 
lawbreaker  who  entered  houses  under  cover  of  night  to 
the  dashing,  bold,  mountain  robber  and  desperado  who  held 


534  BED    ROCK 

passes  and  fought  battles  with  Government  troops,  and 
levied  tribute  on  the  surrounding  country. 

The  man  who  profited  by  all  this  was  Jonadab  Leech. 

He  immediately  took  advantage  of  the  turn  in  affairs  to 
exploit  himself,  and  to  strengthen  the  foundation  of  his 
re-established  plans.  When  he  first  heard  that  Steve 
Allen  had  surrendered  himself,  he  could  not  believe  it ; 
but  when  the  report  was  verified,  he  was  wild  with  joy. 
He  told,  again  and  again,  with  many  new  embellishments, 
the  story  of  his  seizure  and  incarceration,  and  the  horrors 
of  the  midnight  meeting  when  he  was  tried  and  condemned 
to  death  without  a  hearing.  (In  his  later  relations  there 
was  an  intimation  of  threats  of  torture  having  been  used, 
and  no  mention  of  the  mode  of  his  escape.)  He  had  visited 
the  national  capital,  and  he  redoubled  his  energies  in  push- 
ing the  prosecutions  of  the  Ked  Rock  prisoners.  He  de- 
clared that  nothing  could  be  done  until  these  men  were 
punished,  and  the  authority  of  the  Government  asserted. 
He  contrived  effectually  to  create  fresh  doubts  as  to  the  zeal 
of  the  Governor,  and  to  supplant  him  as  the  representative 
of  the  Government.  His  star  was  once  more  in  the  ascend- 
ent. His  fortunes  were  more  promising  than  ever.  His 
ambition  had  taken  a  higher  leap,  and  he  felt  that  now  no 
power  could  keep  him  from  the  attainment  of  his  wishes. 

His  whole  attitude  and  relation  to  his  former  friends 
changed.  Why  should  he  handicap  himself  by  attempting 
to  carry  the  burden  of  Still  and  his  tottering  fortunes  ? 
He  gave  Still  plainly  to  understand  that  he  had  higher 
aims  than  merely  to  obtain  a  few  thousand  acres  of  farm- 
ing land.  He  was  now  a  public  man,  and  affairs  of  State 
were  occupying  his  attention.  To  be  sure,  he  continued 
to  act  as  his  counsel,  and  bled  his  client  for  ever-renewed 
fees  in  a  way  that  made  Still  groan  and  curse.  But  this  was 
all.  He  was  engaged  now  in  loftier  aims.  His  name  had 
been  mentioned  in  the  national  Senate,  in  connection  with 
the  plans  for  the  "  pacification  "  of  the  section  for  which 
he  spoke  ;  and  someone  asked,  "  Who  is  Colonel  Leech  ?" 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN   SURRENDERS  635 

"I  will  tell  you  who  he  is,"  said  the  Senator  who  was 
quoting  him.  "He  is  a  man  who  in  a  short  time  will 
be  your  compeer  on  the  floor  of  this  body." 

This  retort  was  unction  to  Leech's  soul. 

Meantime  the  last  hope  of  the  old  County  was  being 
destroyed.  A  black  pall  seemed  to  have  covered  them.  The 
local  press  raved  in  impotent  rage,  and  declared  that  open 
war  would  be  better  than  the  oppression  to  which  they 
were  subjected. 

Just  at  this  juncture,  when  Steve's  surrender  and  Leech's 
triumph  seemed  to  have  put  the  uttermost  affliction  on 
the  people,  the  order  which  Senator  Rockfield  had  secured 
from  the  authorities  came,  and  the  prisoners  named  in  it 
were  released  on  bail.  The  order,  however,  having  been 
issued  before  Captain  Allen  surrendered  himself,  did  not 
include  his  name  or  apply  to  him.  So  when  Dr.  Gary, 
General  Legaie,  Jacquelin  Gray,  Andy  Stamper,  and  the 
other  residents  of  Red  Rock  were  released,  Captain  Allen 
was  still  held,  and  bail  was  refused  in  his  case.  The  issu- 
ing of  that  order  and  the  discharge  of  the  other  Red  Rock 
prisoners  inspired  Leech  to  hurry  up  the  prosecution  of 
Captain  Allen.  Thurston  was  working  for  him,  and  Sena- 
tor Rockfield  was  beginning  to  investigate  matters  in  the 
State.  Bolter  had  written  an  urgent  letter  respecting  the 
railway  investments,  and  had  said  that  Middleton  was  in- 
terested and  had  come  home  on  Major  Welch's  advice  to 
see  about  the  matter,  and  was  talking  of  coming  South. 
So  Leech  could  not  tell  when  new  difficulties  might  arise. 

It  was  soon  rumored  that  the  Government  would  make 
a  test  case  of  the  prosecution  of  Steve  Allen,  as  the  leader 
and  head  of  the  resistance  to  it.  Leech  was  moving  heaven 
and  earth  to  secure  his  conviction,  and  was  staking  every- 
thing on  this  issue.  Leech  did  not  even  deny  it.  He 
rushed  forward  his  prosecution.  If  he  could  get  Steve 
Allen  shut  up  within  the  walls  of  a  Government  prison  for 
a  term  of  years,  he  would  be  free  to  carry  out  his  schemes  ; 
and  of  this  he  had  no  doubt.  Judge  Bail  was  to  try  Steve, 


536  RED   ROCK 

and  the  witnesses  were  being  got  together  by  McEaffle. 
Leech  did  not  want  to  prosecute  Steve  for  a  minor  offence, 
such  as  the  rescue  of  Eupert.  He  wished  to  put  him  en- 
tirely out  of  the  way.  A  long  term  only  would  now  satisfy 
him.  The  offences  with  which  Steve  was  charged  were  not 
grave  enough,  the  penalties  not  heavy  enough.  The  attack 
on  the  jail  had  been  thrown  into  the  background  by  the 
more  recent  outrages  committed  by  the  Ku  Klux.  Prose- 
cution for  the  seizure  of  Leech  himself  would  look  like  per- 
sonal hostility,  and  weaken  his  cause  ;  and,  besides,  some 
awkward  facts  might  come  out  in  the  development  of  the 
case.  Thurston  would  be  sure  to  tell  how  he  had  escaped, 
and  the  whole  story  would  come  out  and  create  sympathy 
with  the  prisoner,  and  bring  ridicule  upon  himself. 

So  Leech  suddenly  made  a  change  of  base.  He  desired 
to  pose  as  a  public-spirited  man.  He  determined  to  drop 
the  prosecution  for  the  attack  on  the  jail,  and  prosecute 
Steve  Allen  for  the  Ku  Klux  outrages,  as  to  which  the 
Government  was  more  particularly  interested.  The  diffi- 
culty was  to  establish  Allen's  active  connection  with  the 
Ku  Klux.  Leech  knew  of  his  own  knowledge,  from  Allen's 
statement  to  the  assembly  in  the  room  above  his  prison  that 
night,  that  Steve  had  left  the  order  and  opposed  them  at 
that  time,  if  he  had  ever  belonged  to  their  organization. 
So  he  was  somewhat  at  a  loss  to  prove  his  connection  with 
them  as  an  active  member.  Accident,  however,  suddenly 
threw  in  his  way  the  means  to  accomplish  his  wish,  and  to 
punish  two  enemies  at  once. 

Leech  had  been  in  the  upper  end  of  the  County  looking 
after  witnesses,  when  he  met  Miss  Welch,  who  was  on  her  way 
home  from  Dr.  Gary's.  She  gave  him  a  cold  bow,  and  was 
passing  on ;  but  Leech  stopped  her  with  an  inquiry  after 
her  father. 

"  He  is  very  well,"  said  the  girl,  coldly. 

"  I  suppose  he,  like  all  loyal  men,  is  rejoicing  over  the 
capture  at  last  of  the  head  of  all  the  trouble  that  has  been 
going  on  down  here  ?"  Leech's  face  wore  a  soft  smile. 


CAPTAIN  ALLEN  SURRENDERS        537 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  Captain  Allen  was  captured.  I 
thought  he  surrendered."  Ruth's  color  deepened  in  spite 
of  herself. 

"  "Well,  we  have  him  safe  at  last,  anyhow/'  smiled  Leech, 
"  and  I  guess  we'll  keep  him.  No  douht  your  father  is  as 
much  pleased  as  anyone.  It  puts  an  end  to  the  outrages 
down  here,  and  your  father,  of  all  men,  should  rejoice. 
He  is  too  good  a  citizen  not  to." 

' '  He  is  too  good  a  man  to  rejoice  in  anyone's  misfort- 
unes," said  Euth,  warmly  ;  ' '  and  Captain  Allen  has  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  outrages  you  refer  to.  He  never  had 
anything  to  do  with  the  Ku  Klux  except  once  or  twice.  I 
have  his  own  word  for  it." 

Leech's  eyes  were  resting  on  her  face. 

"  Ah  !  You  have  it  on  good  authority."  His  tone  was 
most  polite. 

But  Ruth  fired  up. 

"  I  have.  Captain  Allen  is  a  gentleman  ;  and  when  he 
says  that  he  has  never  had  anything  to  do  with  the  Ku 
Klux  since  the  first  or  second  time  they  acted  in  this  Coun- 
ty, I  am  sure  it  is  so.  What  he  has  done  since  then  he  did 
alone."  She  could  not  resist  this  shot. 

Leech  did  not  appear  to  mind  it.  His  mild  eyes  were 
glowing  with  a  sudden  light,  almost  of  joy. 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  he  murmured.  And,  as  Ruth 
was  moving  on, 

"Please  remember  me  kindly  to  your  father  and 
mother." 

As  she  rode  away  Leech  actually  slapped  his  thigh,  and 
he  smiled  all  the  way  home. 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

MISS  WELCH   HEARS   A   PIECE   OF   NEWS 

RUTH  had  heard  of  Captain  Allen's  surrender  the  day 
after  it  took  place.  Mrs.  Stamper,  passing  through  from 
the  railway  on  her  way  home  from  a  visit  to  her  husband 
in  jail,  had  stopped  and  told  her  all  about  it.  Ruth  al- 
most fell  to  the  ground  during  Mrs.  Stamper's  narration. 
She  could  scarcely  stand  up.  When  Mrs.  Stamper  had 
passed  on,  Ruth  rushed  into  the  house  and  was  on  her  way 
to  her  own  room  when  she  met  her  mother. 

"  What  on  earth  is  it,  Ruth  ?  " 

"Oh,  mamma!"  Ruth  .began,  but  was  unable  to  pro- 
ceed, and  burst  into  tears.  Mrs.  Welch  also  had  heard  the 
story  ;  and  she  divined  the  cause  of  her  agitation,  and  drew 
her  into  her  chamber,  and  there  Ruth  opened  her  heart  to 
her  mother. 

"  I  know  I  ought  to  hate  him,  mamma,"  she  wept, ' '  but 
I  do  not.  I  have  tried  to  hate  him,  and  prayed — yes, 
prayed  to  hate  him  ;  but  I  like  him  better  than  any  man  I 
ever  met  or  ever  shall  meet,  and  even  when  I  cut  him  on 
the  road  I  liked  him.  I  hate  myself  ;  I  am  humiliated  to 
think  that  I  should  care  for  a  man  who  has  never  said  he 
loved  me." 

"  But  he  has  said  so,  Ruth,"  declared  Mrs.  Welch. 

"  What  ?  "  Ruth's  eyes  opened  wide  with  a  vague  awak- 
ing something. 

"  He  came  to  see  your  father,  and  asked  his  consent  to 
pay  you  his  addresses." 

Ruth  sprang  to  her  feet  as  if  electrified. 

"  Mamma  ! "  The  blood  rushed  to  her  face  and  back 
538 


MISS   WELCH  HEARS   A    PIECE   OF  NEWS        539 

again.  She  seized  her  mother,  and  poured  out  question 
after  question.  Her  whole  person  seemed  to  change.  She 
looked  like  a  different  being.  A  radiance  appeared  to  have 
suddenly  settled  down  upon  her  and  enveloped  her.  Mrs. 
Welch  was  carried  away  by  her  enthusiasm,  and  could  not 
help  enjoying  her  joy.  For  once  she  let  herself  go,  and 
gave  herself  up  to  the  delight  of  thorough  and  complete 
sympathy  with  her  daughter.  She  told  her  everything 
that  had  occurred,  and  Ruth  in  return  told  her  mother  all 
that  she  knew  and  thought  of  Steve.  Thus  Mrs.  Welch 
became  Ruth's  confidante,  and,  in  her  sympathy  with  Ruth's 
happiness,  committed  herself  on  Ruth's  side  beyond  hope 
of  withdrawal. 

Just  then  Major  Welch  opened  the  door.  He  stopped 
and  looked  in  on  the  scene  in  wonderment.  Ruth  rose  and 
flung  herself  into  his  arms. 

In  the  conference  that  ensued,  Ruth,  however,  found 
ground  for  more  distress.  Her  father  had  heard  the  whole 
story  of  Captain  Allen's  surrender  of  himself.  He  had  just 
got  it  from  Thurston.  He  also  knew  of  the  telegrams 
Thurston  had  received  in  response  to  his  giving  notice  of 
the  surrender,  and  he  was  full  of  anxiety.  He  was  by  no 
means  sure  that  Captain  Allen,  however  high  his  motive, 
had  done  a  wise  act  in  giving  himself  up.  He  did  not  be- 
lieve his  action  would  be  effectual  to  obtain"  the  release  of 
his  friends,  and  he  had  put  himself  in  the  power  of  those 
who  would  move  heaven  and  earth  to  secure  his  conviction. 
The  dispatcher  that  had  come  from  the  city  clearly  indi- 
cated this. 

Under  the  new  revelation  that  Major  Welch  had  received, 
his  interest  in  Captain  Allen  naturally  increased  beyond 
measure,  and  he  showed  it.  His  only  hope  was  that  proof 
as  to  Captain  Allen's  case  might  not  be  easy.  The  new 
laws  under  which  the  prosecutions  were  being  pressed 
aimed  at  recent  acts,  and  it  might  not  be  possible  to  prove 
Captain  Allen's  participation  in  these  acts. 

His  carrying  Leech  off  could,  of  course,  be  proved ;  but 


540  BED   KOCK 

while  Leech  would  naturally  push  the  prosecution  for  this, 
as  Leech  had  returned,  the  Government  might  not  now  take 
that  so  seriously.  As  her  father  discussed  Captain  Allen's 
chances  earnestly,  Ruth  sat  and  listened  with  bated  breath, 
her  eyes,  wide  with  anxiety,  fixed  on  his  face,  her  hands 
tightly  clasped,  her  color  coming  and  going  as  hope  and 
fear  alternated. 

It  was  a  few  days  after  this,  that  she  had  her  brief  inter- 
view with  Leech. 

The  next  day  after  that  interview  an  official  rode  up  to 
the  door  and  served  a  summons  on  Ruth  to  appear  as  a  wit- 
ness for  the  prosecution  in  the  case  of  the  Government 
against  Stevenson  Allen.  With  this  notice  he  brought  also 
a  letter  to  Major  Welch  from  Leech,  who  wrote  Major 
Welch  that  for  reasons  of  importance  to  the  Government 
he  had  found  it  necessary  to  request  his  daughter's  attend- 
ance at  the  trial.  The  letter  was  full  of  expressions 
of  regret  that  he  should  have  to  cause  Major  Welch's 
daughter  any  inconvenience.  She  was  the  only  one,  he 
said,  who  could  prove  certain  facts  material  to  the  case  for 
the  Government. 

As  Major  Welch  read  the  letter  his  countenance  fell. 
Ruth's  knowledge  of  Captain  Allen's  confession  of  his 
part  in  the  Ku  Klux  organization  had  filled  out  Leech's 
case,  and  Captain  Allen  was  in  graver  danger  than  he  had 
apprehended.  The  next  day  it  was  known  in  the  County 
that  Ruth  had  been  summoned  by  Leech,  and  that  the 
object  of  the  summons  was  to  have  her  prove  Captain 
Allen's  confession  to  her  of  his  part  in  the  acts  of  the  Ku 
Klux.  It  was  stated  that  Leech  had  written  Major  Welch 
to  obtain  the  information  from  him,  and  that  Major  Welch 
had  replied  that  his  daughter  would  be  on  hand,  dead  or 
alive.  The  excitement  in  the  community  was  intense; 
and  the  feeling  against  the  Welches  flamed  forth  stronger 
than  it  had  ever  been — stronger  even  than  before  the 
trial  of  Jacquelin's  case.  Intimations  of  this  came  to  the 
Welches,  and  they  could  not  ride  out  without  encounter- 


MISS    WELCH   HEAES   A   PIECE   OF   NEWS        541 

ing  the  hostile  looks  of  their  neighbors.  It  was  asserted 
by  some  that  Major  Welch  and  his  daughter  had  trapped 
Steve,  and  were  taking  their  revenge  for  his  part  in 
Jacquelin's  suit.  Major  Welch  received  one  or  two  anon- 
ymous letters  accusing  him  of  this,  and  warning  him  to 
leave  the  country  without  attempting  to  push  his  malice 
farther. 

As  the  Major  treated  these  letters  with  the  contempt 
they  deserved,  and  destroyed  them  without  letting  either 
Mrs.  Welch  or  Kuth  know  anything  about  them,  they 
would  have  given  him  no  further  concern  except  for  the 
fact  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  North  just  then 
on  business.  The  letters  came  near  preventing  his  going  ; 
but  as  the  matter  was  urgent,  he  went,  and  the  rumor  got 
abroad  that  he  had  left  on  account  of  the  letters. 

Euth  was  in  a  state  of  great  distress.  She  hoped  she 
would  die  before  the  day  of  the  trial ;  and,  indeed,  to  have 
seen  her,  one  might  have  thought  it  not  unlikely.  Dr. 
Gary  was  sent  for.  He  prescribed  change  of  air  and  scene. 
Mrs.  Welch  shook  her  head  sadly.  That  was  impossible 
just  now.  "  You  look  as  though  you  needed  change  your- 
self, Doctor,"  she  said.  And  well  she  might  say  so.  The 
Doctor  had  aged  years  in  the  last  weeks.  His  face  had 
never  lost  the  prison  pallor. 

6 '  No  madam — I  think  not,"  he  said,  calmly,  his  hand 
resting  against  his  breast.  Mrs.  Welch  did  not  know  that 
he  meant  that  he  was  past  that  now. 

"  Then  you  must  take  a  rest,"  urged  Mrs.  Welch. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  shall  take  a  rest  before  long,"  said  he. 

Ruth  was  out  riding  one  afternoon  just  after  this  when 
she  met  old  Waverley.  She  stopped  to  inquire  after  Miss 
Thomasia  who  she  had  heard  was  ill.  The  old  man  was 
actually  short  to  her.  "  I  don'  think  she'll  last  long  now," 
he  said,  so  significantly  that  it  pierced  the  girl's  breast  like 
a  knife.  Ruth  had  always  felt  that  Miss  Thomasia  and  she 
had  one  thing  in  common,  and  Miss  Thomasia  had  always 
been  gweet  and  gracious  to  her.  Now  the  picture  of  the 


542  J1ED    ROCK 

old  lady  at  home,  lonely  and  ill  from  anxiety  and  distress, 
pursued  her.  She  could  not  get  away  from  it.  At  length 
she  turned  her  horse,  and  rode  slowly  back  to  the  little  cot- 
tage amid  the  vines.  An  air  of  stillness  that  was  oppressive 
surrounded  the  place.  For  a  few  moments  Euth  thought 
of  drawing  back  and  going  home.  Then  her  courage  re- 
turned. She  sprang  from  her  horse,  and,  tying  him,  walked 
up  to  the  door  and  knocked.  The  knock  was  answered  by 
old  Peggy.  The  old  woman's  eyes  darted  fire  at  Euth, 
as  she  answered  her.  She  did  not  know  whether  Euth 
could  see  Miss  Thomasia  or  not — she  thought  not.  Miss 
Thomasia  was  asleep.  Euth,  however,  persisted ;  she 
would  wait  until  Miss  Thomasia  waked  up.  She  took  her 
seat  quietly  on  the  little  veranda.  The  old  woman  looked 
puzzled  and  disappeared.  Presently  she  returned,  and 
said  Miss  Thomasia  would  see  Euth.  Enth  went  in.  Miss 
Thomasia  was  sitting  up  in  a  little  rocking-chair.  Euth 
was  astounded  to  see  the  difference  in  her  since  she  saw 
her  last.  She  looked  years  older.  She  received  Euth  civ- 
illy, but  distantly,  and  let  her  do  the  talking.  Euth  kept 
well  away  from  the  one  subject  that  was  uppermost  in 
both  their  minds.  Presently,  however,  in  face  of  her  im- 
penetrable coldness,  Euth  could  stand  it  no  longer.  She 
rose  to  go,  and  bade  the  old  lady  good-by. 

"  Good-by,  my  dear/'  said  Miss  Thomasia.  They  were 
the  words  with  which  she  always  said  her  adieus.  Her 
voice  was  feeble,  and  she  spoke  very  low.  There  was  some- 
thing in  her  tone,  something  of  resignation  and  forgiveness, 
that  went  to  Euth's  heart,  and  as  she  turned  away — a  deep 
sigh  caught  her  ear.  She  turned  back.  Miss  Thorn asia's 
thin  hands  were  tightly  clasped,  her  eyes  were  shut,  and 
her  lips  were  trembling.  The  next  moment  Euth  was 
down  on  her  knees  beside  her,  her  head  buried  in  her  lap, 
pouring  out  her  story. 

"  I  must  tell  you,"  she  sobbed.  "  I  came  to  tell  you, 
and  I  cannot  go  away  and  not  tell  you.  I  know  you  love 
him,  and  I  know  you  hate  me.  You  have  a  right  to  hate 


MISS    WELCH   HEARS   A    PIECE   OF   NEWS        543 

me  ;  they  all  hate  me,  and  think  I  am  hard  and  cruel.  But 
I  am  not,  and  neither  is  my  father." 

She  went  on,  and,  as  she  told  her  story,  the  other  lady's 
hands  came  and  rested  on  her  head  and  lifted  her  up,  and 
the  two  women  wept  together. 

A  little  later  Blair  came  in,  and  stopped,  surprised,  on 
the  threshold.  The  next  moment  she  and  Ruth  were  in 
each  other's  arms,  weeping  together ;  while  Miss  Thomasia, 
with  her  face  brighter  than  it  had  been  since  the  news 
reached  her  of  Steve's  surrender,  smiled  on  them.  Pres- 
ently old  Peggy  opened  the  door,  thinking  perhaps  Ruth 
had  been  there  long  enough.  She  gazed  on  the  scene  in 
wonder  for  a  moment,  and  then  closed  the  door.  "  Well, 
dee  beats  me,"  she  muttered.  When  Ruth  left,  Miss 
Thomasia  looked  better  than  she  had  done  in  days,  and 
Ruth's  own  heart  was  lighter.  That  night  Blair  asked  old 
Mr.  Bagby  if  there  was  no  way  in  which  a  woman  could 
avoid  giving  evidence  against  a  man,  if  she  were  summoned 
and  did  not  wish  to  testify. 

"  One,"  said  the  old  lawyer  "—two  :  she  can  die." 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

MIDDLETON   REVISITS   BED   ROCK,    AND    AN    OLD    SOLDIER 
LAYS   DOWN   HIS  ARMS 

THE  account  of  affairs  in  the  South  that  Middleton  had 
got  from  Senator  Rockfield  had  decided  him  to  go  down 
there.  It  awakened  old  recollections,  and  recalled  a  time 
in  his  life  which,  though  there  were  many  things  in  it 
that  he  would  have  had  otherwise,  was  on  the  whole  very 
pleasant  to  him.  He  had  tried  to  do  his  duty  under  very 
adverse  circumstances,  and,  though  he  had  not  been  sus- 
tained, events  had  justified  him.  He  happened  to  be 
present  in  the  gallery  during  the  debate  in  which  one  Sen- 
ator asked,  "  Who  is  this  man  Leech  ? "  and  another  re- 
plied, "  He  is  a  man  who  will  soon  be  your  compeer  on  this 
floor."  The  statement  had  astounded  Middleton.  Could 
it  be  possible  that  Dr.  Cary,  Jacquelin  Gray,  and  General 
Legaie  were  in  jail,  and  that  Leech  was  about  to  become  a 
Senator  of  the  United  States.  It  seemed  incredible  to  the 
young  man.  He  had  in  a  way  kept  himself  informed  as  to 
the  old  County,  and  he  knew  that  there  had  been  trouble 
there;  but  he  had  had  no  idea  that  things  had  reached 
this  pass.  That  night  he  had  the  conversation  with  Sen- 
ator Rockfield  about  Dr.  Cary,  and  soon  afterward  he  got 
a  letter  from  Thurston  which  finally  decided  him  to  go 
South  and  see  for  himself. 

His  arrival  at  Brutusville  was  regarded  very  differently 
by  different  people.  The  Welches  were  delighted  to  see 
him,  and  so  was  Reely  Thurston.  Leech  met  him  with  a 
show  of  much  cordiality — extended  his  hand,  and  greeted 
him  with  warmth  which  somehow  cooled  Middleton.  Mid- 
544 


MIDDLETON   REVISITS   RED   ROCK  545 

dleton  could  not  for  his  life  help  having  that  old  feeling  of 
repulsion.  He  was  conscious  of  a  change  in  Leech.  .In- 
stead of  his  former  half-apologetic  manner  that  was  almost 
obsequious,  Leech  now  was  lively  and  assertive.  His  air 
was  that  of  an  equal — indeed,  almost  of  a  superior. 

The  strangest  greeting,  however,  Middleton  met  with 
was  from  "  Dr.  Moses."  Moses  had  returned  to  the  Coun- 
ty after  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  and  had  been  much  in 
evidence  about  the  court-house,  where  he  appeared  to  be 
in  Leech's  employ.  The  day  after  Middleton  arrived, 
Moses  came  out  of  a  yard  just  ahead  of  him,  and  ad- 
vanced to  meet  him,  hat  in  hand,  grinning  and  showing 
his  repulsive  teeth  and  gums.  It  was  almost  a  shock  to 
Middleton  to  see  him. 

"How's  Mass'  Middleton  ?  My  young  master  ?  Glad 
to  see  you  back,  suh.  Does  you  'member  Moses — ole 
Moses?" 

"  Yes,  I  remember  you,"  said  Middleton,  almost  grimly. 
The  negro  burst  out  into  a  loud  guffaw. 

"Yas,  suh.  I  knows  you 'members  Moses.  Yaw-yaw- 
yaw-ee.  Done  lay  de  whup  on  Mose'  back  too  good  not 
to  'member  him,  yaw-yaw-yaw-ee.  Dat  wuz  right.  Now 
you  gwine  gi'  me  a  quarter  for  dat."  He  held  out  his 
hand,  his  eyes  oscillating,  in  their  peculiar  way. 

Middleton  pitched  a  dollar  into  his  hand  and  walked  on 
hastily,  followed  by  the  thanks  and  protestations  of  grat- 
itude of  the  negro.  He  did  not  see  the  look  that  Moses 
shot  after  hhn  as  he  followed  him  at  a  distance  till  Mid- 
dleton went  into  Mrs.  Dockett's. 

As  the  trick-doctor  turned  back,  he  muttered,  "  Yas, 
done  lay  de  whup  'pon  Moses'  back.  Dollar  don'  pay  for 
dat.  Ain'  Cap'n  Middleton  now,  jes  Marse  Middleton. 
Ump  ! "  He  disappeared  with  his  uneven  gait  around  the 
rear  of  Leech's  law-office. 

When  Middleton  mentioned  to  Mrs.  Welch  his  meeting 
with  Moses,  to  his  surprise  she  spoke  of  him  with  unmit- 
igated detestation,  and,  equally  to  his  surprise,  she  spoke  of 
35 


546  BED   ROCK 

Captain  Allen  with  much  less  reprobation  than  from  his 
knowledge  of  her  views  he  had  anticipated. 

Most  of  the  other  friends  of  Middleton  received  him 
with  even  greater  cordiality  than  he  had  expected.  Mrs. 
Dockett  invited  him  to  come  and  occupy  his  old  quarters, 
and  made  him  understand  distinctly  that  it  was  to  be  as  her 
guest.  She  did  not  board  any  Yankees  now — except  Cap- 
tain Thurston,  of  course,  The  Captain  was  an  old  friend, 
and  she  had  to  take  him  in  for  old  times'  sake  ;  she  could 
not  let  him  be  starved  or  poisoned  at  that  miserable  hole 
of  a  hotel. 

Middleton  laughed  as  he  thanked  her.  He  knew  which 
way  the  wind  was  setting  with  Thurston.  He  was  staying 
with  his  cousins,  he  said.  But  he  hoped  Mrs.  Dockett 
would  be  good  enough  to  let  him  come  to  dinner  some 
time  and  eat  some  of  her  fried  chicken,  which  was  the 
very  best  in  all  the  world,  as  he  knew  by  experience.  Mrs. 
Dockett  declared  that  he  was  nattering  her ;  but  this  Mid- 
dleton stoutly  repudiated.  He  had  said  so  in  every  coun- 
try he  had  visited,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  he  should 
not  say  so  now.  In  fact,  he  so  nattered  Mrs.  Dockett  that 
the  good  lady  declared  at  the  table  that  evening — gazing 
hard  at  Captain  Thurston — that  Captain  Middleton  was 
quite  a  model  now  that  he  no  longer  wore  that  horrid  blue 
coat,  but  dressed  like  a  gentleman.  "  By  Jove  !  Larry," 
said  Thurston,  "  you've  been  acting  on  the  lessons  I  gave 
you.  You've  captured  the  brigadier  first  charge.  Keep 
on,  and  you  may  capture  the  whole  army,  my  boy." 

"You  blackguard!"  said  Middleton.  "You  yourself 
flatter  and  humbug  every  woman  you  meet,  so  that  you 
think  everyone  else  must  be  playing  the  same  game." 

"  Have  you  told  the  Senator's  daughter  about  the 
chickens  in  this  country  ?  "  drawled  Thurston. 

For  reply,  Middleton  shied  a  pillow  across  at  his  friendc 
"  Of  course  I  have,  and  how  about  you  ?  " 

"Oh  !    I  like  Mrs.  Dockett's  chicken  too." 

To  Middleton's  surprise  Thurston  actually  flushed  a  little. 


MIDDLETON   REVISITS   RED   ROCK  547 

"Eeely!" 

Thurston's  eyes  twinkled,  and  he  grew  red. 
"Well!    And  she?" 
Thurston  met  his  gaze  this  time. 

"Larry,   how  could    any  sensible    woman    resist    my 
charms  ?  "  he  laughed. 
"  Are  you  engaged  ?  " 
"  Only  in  a  military  sense — as  yet." 
"  But  she  likes  you  ?" 

"  Larry,  she's  the  most  unaccountable  creature. " 
"Of  course." 

"You  don't  know  how  clever  she  is." 
"  To  discover  your  good  qualities  ?  " 
"  And  sweet  and  kind-hearted." 
"To  like  you?" 

"Yes,  such  a  vagabond  as  I  am.  And  how  charming 
she  can  be  !  She's  about  six  girls  in  one — one  minute  one 
thing,  the  next  another." 

"  That  just  suits  you.  You  need  just  about  that  many 
to  be  in  love  with." 

"  She's  the  only  girl  in  the  world  I  ever  was  in  love 
with,"  asserted  Thurston,  boldly. 
Middleton  whistled. 

"Here,  you  are  not  talking  to  her  now,  but  to  me. 
Have  you  told  Ruth  Welch  that  ?" 
"  She's  my  confidante." 

"  She  is  ?     That  accounts  for  it,"  said  Middleton. 
"  She  likes  Allen,"  said  Thurston,  explanatorily. 
"Oh!" 

"And  Miss  Gary  likes  Gray."  This  with  a  keen  look  at 
Middleton. 

"  Ah  ?  "    After  a  pause  :  "  Who  told  you  so  ?  " 
"I  have  it  from  the  best  authority." 
"Miss  Gary,  or  Gray?" 
"No,  Miss  Elizabeth." 

"Oh  !"  laughed  Middleton.  "  Keely,  what  a  humbug 
you  are." 


548  BED   ROCK 

"  No,  only  a  diplomatist,  my  dear  boy.  It's  necessary, 
to  accomplish  anything  with  the  dear  creatures." 

The  morning  after  Middleton's  arrival-  he  was  driving 
to  the  county  seat,  when  at  a  turn  in  the  road  he  met  Dr. 
Gary  walking.  It  had  rained  the  night  before,  and  the 
road  was  muddy  and  heavy  ;  but  the  Doctor  was  trudging 
along  with  his  old  black  saddle-pockets  over  his  shoul- 
der. Middleton  pulled  up,  and  sprang  out  and  greeted 
him. 

The  Doctor  returned  his  greeting  cordially,  and  invited 
him  to  come  and  see  them. 

"  What  are  you  doing  walking  ? "  asked  Middleton. 
"  Has  your  horse  got  away  ?" 

The  Doctor  smiled  half -grimly.  "  Yes,  some  time  ago." 
The  smile  died  slowly  out.  "  I  have  no  horse  now,"  he 
said,  gravely.  "  I  lost  my  horse  some  time  ago,  and  have 
not  been  able  to  procure  one  since."  Middleton  looked  so 
shocked  that  the  Doctor  added,  "  Usually  my  patients,  who 
are  able,  send  a  horse  for  me  ;  but  sometimes  I  have  those 
who  are  no  better  off  than  myself."  Once  more  the  smile 
flitted  across  his  worn  face. 

"  Steve  sent  me  his  horse  when  he  gave  himself  up,  but 
Leech  has  taken  him.  He  has  a  brand  on  him,  and  Leech 
claims,  I  believe,  that  he  belongs  to  the  Government,  and 
Leech  now  is  the  Government." 

"  I  will  see  if  he  is,"  said  Middleton,  with  a  sudden  flush 
of  anger.  "  Fll  put  a  brand  on  him." 

Middleton  asked  to  be  allowed  to  take  the  Doctor  to  his 
destination.  The  old  fellow  at  first  demurred  ;  but  on 
Middleton's  insisting,  yielded.  It  was  a  little  warm  walk- 
ing, he  admitted. 

"Why  don't  you  borrow  the  money  to  buy  a  horse?" 

asked  Middleton,  presently.     "  I  wish  you  would  let ' 

He  was  going  to  ask  the  Doctor  to  let  him  lend  him  the 
money  ;  but  the  Doctor  interrupted  him. 

"  Ah  !  sir,  I  have  borrowed  too  much  money  already.  I 
thought  then  I  could  pay,  I  know  now  I  could  never  pay." 


MIDDLETON   REVISITS   KED   EOCK  549 

"When  they  reached  the  place  to  which  the  Doctor  was 
going,  it  was  a  negro  cabin. 

"  I  have  to  look  after  them,  sir/'  explained  the  old  fel- 
low. "  I  don't  know  what  they  will  do  when  I  am  gone.'' 

The  deep  sincerity  in  his  face  took  away  any  suggestion 
of  egotism. 

Middleton  drove  on  in  deep  meditation,  trying  to  unravel 
the  tangle  of  his  thoughts.  As  he  drove  into  the  village, 
he  was  passed  by  a  carriage  and  pair.  In  the  carriage  sat 
Leech  and  a  negro.  They  were  both  dressed  in  long  black 
broad-cloth  coats,  and  the  negro  wore  a  shiny  new  beaver. 

That  very  afternoon  Middleton  began  to  negotiate  for  a 
horse  that  he  thought  would  suit  an  old  man.  His  in- 
tention was  to  buy  the  horse,  and  when  he  went  away  ask 
Dr.  Gary  to  keep  it  for  him  and  use  it. 

As  he  was  looking  at  a  horse,  Leech  came  by.  He 
stopped  and  looked  on,  a  smile  on  his  sallow  face. 

"  If  you  want  a  good  horse,  don't  buy  that  one.  I've 
got  a  lot  on  my  place,  and  I'll  lend  you  one,"  he  said. 

"Thank  you,  I  .prefer  to  buy,"  said  Middleton,  coldly, 
examining  the  horse. 

"  All  right,  I'll  sell  you  one — cheap.  I've  got  the  finest 
lot  you  ever  saw.  Some  of  the  old  Gary  stock,"  he  added. 

"I've  no  doubt  you  have,"  said  Middleton,  dryly,  a 
frown  gathering  on  his  brow. 

"  You  used  to  be  a  better  judge  of  a  horse  than  that," 
laughed  Leech. 

Middleton  straightened  up  and  turned  on  him  so  angrily 
that  Leech  stepped  back  involuntarily.  The  next  instant, 
however,  he  recovered  himself. 

"Find  a  good  many  changes  since  you  went  away,  I 
guess  ?  "  His  voice  was  full  of  insolence,  and  his  face  wore 
a  provoking  smile.  Middleton  was  trying  to  control  him- 
self. Leech  misinterpreted  his  silence. 

"Some  of  your  friends  sort  of  gone  down  the  hill  ?" 
He  nodded  his  head  in  the  direction  of  the  jail  beyond  the 
court-green.  His  insolence  was  intolerable. 


550  BED   KOCK 

"  Are  you  trying  to  be  insolent  to  me  ?"  demanded  Mid- 
dleton.  He  stepped  up  close  in  front  of  Leech.  "If 
you  are,  you  are  making  a  mistake."  His  mariner  and  his 
face,  as  he  looked  Leech  in  the  eyes,  abashed  even  him,  and 
he  changed  his  tone.  He  did  not  mean  to  offend  him,  he 
said ;  he  was  only  "  jesting  when  he  called  them  his 
friends." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  be  jested  with,"  said  Middleton,  coldly, 
turning  away. 

As  Leech  went  on  he  smiled  to  himself.  "  Ah,  my 
young  man,  times  are  changed,"  he  muttered  to  himself, 
softly  ;  "  and  if  you  stay  here  long  you'll  find  it  out ! " 

Middleton  concluded  his  purchase,  and  the  following 
evening  rode  his  new  horse  up  to  Dr.  Gary's. 

That  day  Leech  called  Moses  into  his  office.  "I  see 
your  friend  Captain  Middleton  is  back  ?  "  he  said.  Moses 
uttered  a  sound  that  was  half  a  laugh,  half  a  snarl. 

"  Yas — all  dat  comes  don'  go,  and  all  dat  goes  don' 
come  "  ;  he  snickered. 

"  You  better  not  fool  with  him,"  said  Leech.  "  He 
knows  how  to  manage  you."  He  made  a  gesture,  as  if  he 
were  cutting,  with  a  whip,  and  laughed,  tauntingly. 

Moses's  eyes  moved  swiftly.  "Nor  I  ain'  forgit ;  I'se 
done  learnt  some'n'  sense  den.  He  better  look  out." 

"You  think  the  Ku  Klux  would  trouble  him  ?"  asked 
Leech. 

Moses  stole  a  swift  look  at  him.  "  He  better  look  out," 
he  repeated. 

"  Have  some* whiskey,"  said  Leech. 

There  was  one  man  in  the  County  besides  Leech  who  was 
not  overjoyed  to  see  Middleton.  When  Jacquelin  Gray 
heard  of  his  arrival,  his  countenance  fell.  Perfect  love 
may  cast  out  fear,  but  it  does  not  cast  out  jealousy ;  and 
Jacquelin  was  conscious  of  a  pain  in  his  heart.  He  did 
not  know  whether  Blair  Gary  liked  Middleton  now  very 
much  or  not,  but  he  feared  she  did  ;  and  Middleton  had 
been  the  cause  of  his  rupture  with  her.  When,  there- 


MIDDLETON   KEVISITS   RED   ROCK  551 

fore,  he  met  Middleton  he  could  not  pretend  that  he  was 
glad  to  see  him.  So  he  greeted  him  distantly,  though 
with  marked  civility.  Middleton  was  unusually  cordial  to 
him  ;  hut  this  only  grated  on  Jacquelin.  There  was  a 
smile  in  his  eyes  which  Jacquelin,  torturing  himself  as 
every  fool  under  like  circumstances  does,  interpreted  as  a 
glance  of  triumph,  if  not  of  positive  compassion.  This  was 
the  more  biting  to  Jacquelin  because  it  was  at  Dr.  Gary's 
that  they  met,  and  Blair  was  unusually  gay  that  evening. 
Her  cheeks,  which  were  sometimes  pale,  were  now  flushed, 
Jacquelin  felt,  with  pleasure  at  Middleton's  presence.  She 
talked  mainly  to  Middleton,  to  Jacquelin  scarcely  at  all. 
At  length  Jacquelin  rose  and  said  he  must  go. 

"  Why,  aren't  you  going  to  stay  to  tea  ?  I  thought  you 
were?"  Blair  asked,  in  genuine  surprise.  Her  color  had 
suddenly  vanished,  and  she  looked  at  him  with  a  vague 
trouble  in  her  eyes. 

"  Thank  you,  no,"  said  Jacquelin,  shortly.  "  Good- 
evening,  Captain  Middleton."  He  bowed  ceremoniously. 

"  I  had  hoped  to  have  the  pleasure  of  riding  back  with 
you,"  said  Middleton. 

"  I  am  walking,"  said  Jacquelin,  grimly.  He  went  out. 
Blair  excused  herself  hurriedly  to  Middleton.  "  Oh  ! 
Jacquelin,"  she  called,  "  will  you  take  this  letter  for  me, 
and  mail  it  to-morrow  morning  ?  " 

"  Can't  I  take  it  ?  "  asked  Middleton.  "  I  am  going  by 
the  office." 

"  Oh  !  Jack  will  take  it,  thank  you." 

As  she  gave  Jacquelin  the  letter  she  glanced  up  in  his 
face  inquiringly.  But  Jacquelin's  eyes  avoided  hers.  He 
took  the  letter  and  stalked  out.  How  he  hated  Middle- 
ton  !  And  how  he  hated  himself  for  doing  it ! 

He  strode  down  the  road  full  of  bitterness,  weaving 
himself  a  nettle-web  that  stung  him  at  every  step.  The 
moon  was  just  rising  above  the  tree-tops,  and  its  silvery 
beams  were  struggling  with  the  last  light  from  the  slowly 
fading  west ;  but  Jacquelin  was  all  in  darkness.  All  his 


552  BED   ROCK 

plans  had  come  to  naught,  overthrown  by  this  smiling  out- 
sider. He  groaned  in  his  helpless  anguish.  Had  he  not 
waited ;  tried  to  keep  his  ideals  ever  before  him  ;  served 
faithfully  ;  never  for  a  moment  faltered  or  turned  aside  for 
anyone  else  !  And  what  had  it  availed  him  !  Here  was  a 
lifetime  of  devotion  flung  away  for  the  facile  addresses  of 
this  interloper. 

At  a  point  in  the  road,  he  caught,  for  a  second,  just  on 
top  of  a  hill  some  distance  before  him,  the  outline  of  a 
man's  figure  clear  against  the  sky  in  the  cleft  between  the 
trees.  It  moved  with  a  curious  dip  or  limp  that  reminded 
him  for  a  moment  of  Moses  the  trick-doctor.  The  next 
second  the  figure  disappeared.  When  Jacquelin  reached 
the  spot,  he  stopped  and  listened  ;  but  there  was  only 
silence  and  a  momentary  crackle  of  a  piece  of  bark  as  some 
night-animal  moved  up  a  tree  deep  within  the  shadows. 
Jacquelin  walked-  on  once  more,  in  the  dusk  of  the  road 
and  the  deeper  gloom  of  his  own  thoughts.  He  could  not 
go  home,  because  he  had  told  his  aunt  he  would  stay  at  Dr. 
Gary's  to  tea,  and  she  would  wish  to  know  why  he  had 
not  done  so,  and  when  she  heard  of  Middleton  would  want 
to  hear  all  about  him,  and  he  could  not  talk  of  Middleton 
then.  So  he  wandered  on. 

When  he  reached  home  Miss  Thomasia  had  retired,  and 
he  went  silently  to  his  room,  cursing  his  fate  and  Middle- 
ton. 

Early  next  morning,  Jacquelin  was  awakened  by  voices 
in  the  yard.  Someone  was  talking  to  Miss  Thomasia.  All 
Jacquelin  heard  was  that  Captain  Middleton  had  been 
shot  the  night  before  at  the  fork  of  the  road  that  led  to 
Dr.  Gary's.  Jacquelin  lay  still  for  a  second — quite  still — 
and  listened.  Could  it  be  a  dream  !  The  body  had  been 
found  right  at  the  fork  by  Dr.  Gary  as  he  was  going  home 
from  seeing  Sherrod's  wife,  and  he  had  sent  for  Mr. 
Jacquelin. 

Jacquelin's  heart  stopped  beating.  He  sprang  from  bed 
and  threw  open  a  window.  Old  Gideon-  was  the  speaker. 


MIDDLETON   REVISITS   EED   KOCK  553 

"  What's  that  ?  '•'  asked  Jacqnelin. 

Gideon  repeated  the  story,  with  further  details. 

"Is  he  dead  ?" 

"  Nor,  suh,  he  ain'  dead  yet ;  but  de  Doctor  say  he  am' 
got  much  show.  Ef  he  hadn't  happened  to  git  dyah 
pretty  soon  after  he  was  shot,  he'd  been  dead  pretty  soon." 

"Thank  God!" 

Jacquelin  had  felt  like  a  murderer.  The  thought  of 
Blair,  stricken  in  the  moment  of  her  joy,  came  to  him 
like  a  stab  in  his  heart.  His  heart  gave  a  bound  that  he 
was  able  to  rejoice  that  Middleton  was  not  dead. 

Old  Gideon  was  giving  particulars. 

"  Some  thinks  'twas  dem  Ku  Kluxes — some  dat  dee  wuz 
after  somebody  else,  whoever  'twuz.  I  don'  know  who 
'twuz,"  he  asserted,  with  manifest  veracity.  "  But  I  sholy 
don'  'prove  of  folkes'  shootin'  'roun'  at  folks  dataway,  dat 
I  don't  !  Dee  done  sen'  for  Mr.  Welch  and  de  Capt'n  at 
the  cote-house." 

When  Jacquelin  reached  Dr.  Gary's  he  was  met  by  Blair, 
white-faced  and  tearful. 

He  walked  straight  up  to  her  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Blair."  His  voice  had  all  the  old  tenderness.  The 
lover  had  disappeared.  It  was  only  the  old,  old  friend — the 
brother. 

"  Oh  !  Jacquelin  !  "     And  she  burst  into  tears. 

Dr.  Gary's  providential  appearance  on  the  spot  where 
Middleton  lay  had  undoubtedly  saved  Middleton's  life ; 
and  although  at  first  the  wound  appeared  very  desperate, 
his  splendid  constitution  stood  him  in  good  stead,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  he  began  to  rally.  "  It  is  in  such  instances 
as  this,"  said  Dr.  Gary,  "  that  a  man's  habits  tell.  Nature 
conducts  her  campaign  with  less  than  half  her  forces  in 
action  ;  it  is  when  an  accident  comes  that  the  reserves  tell." 

One  of  the  first  things  done,  after  it  was  known  whether 
Middleton  would  survive  the  immediate  shock,  was  to 
telegraph  to  Miss  Rockfield. 

The  sudden  shock  appeared  to  have  driven  away  all  the 


554  KED   KOCK 

cloud  of  misunderstanding  that  had  so  long  settled  be- 
tween Jacquelin  and  Blair ;  and  although  Jacquelin  felt 
that  all  was  over  between  them,,  his  self-abnegation 
brought  him  a  content  to  which  he  had  long  been  a 
stranger.  Every  moment  that  he  could  spare  he  was  at 
Blair's  service ;  but  she  was  most  of  the  time  at  Middle- 
ton's  bedside,  with  Ruth,  and  all  Jacquelin  could  do  was  to 
show  by  his  silent  sympathy  how  deeply  he  felt  for  her. 

One  afternoon  she  came  and  asked  him  to  go  to  the 
station  for  Miss  Rockfield. 

' e  Who  is  Miss  Rockfield  ?  "  asked  Jacquelin.  ' '  I  know 
she  is  related  to  Middleton  ;  but  who  is  she  ?  " 

"She  is  Captain  Middleton's  fiancee,"  said  Blair, 
quietly. 

"  What ! "  Jacquelin  turned  hot  and  cold  by  turns. 
"  Blair  I" 

Blair's  eyes  were  dancing,  and  her  mouth  was  trembling 
with  the  effort  to  suppress  the  sign  of  her  triumph. 

Jacquelin  positively  staggered.  He  hitched  up  Middle- 
ton's  horse  and  went  for  Miss  Rockfield  ;  but  how  he 
reached  the  station  and  what  happened  that  evening  he 
always  vowed  he  could  never  remember.  When  Miss 
Rockfield  arrived,  Middleton  was  already  out  of  danger. 
The  strain,  however,  had  told  heavily  on  Dr.  Gary.  Still 
he  refused  to  rest. 

A  night  or  two  later,  the  Doctor  had  just  come  home 
from  a  round  of  visits.  He  had  come  by  the  court-house, 
and  had  paid  Steve  a  visit.  Every  effort  had  failed  to  put 
off  Steve's  trial.  Leech  had  brought  the  judge,  and  they 
were  together  at  Still's.  The  Doctor  was  much  depressed. 
He  would  write  to  Senator  Rockfield,  and  see  if  he  could 
not  make  one  more  attempt.  He  looked  so  fagged  and 
worn  that  Mrs.  Gary  and  Blair  urged  him  to  put  off  the 
letter.  But  he  said  it  must  be  done  at  once.  The  day  for 
the  trial  was  approaching,  and  every  hour  was  precious 
now.  So  he  wrote  the  letter.  Then  he  lay  down  on  a 
lounge. 


MIDDLETON   KEVISITS   BED   ROCK  555 

The  next  moment  there  was  the  clatter  of  horses'  feet 
outside,  and  a  man  riding  one  horse  and  leading  another 
dashed  up  in  the  yard  at  a  gallop  and  gave  a  shout : 

"Aw— Dr.  Gary/' 

Mrs.  Gary's  countenance  fell.  The  Doctor's  face,  which 
had  just  before  been  expressive  of  extreme  fatigue,  sud- 
denly took  on  a  new  expression. 

' '  You  cannot  go  ;  it  is  impossible,"  declared  Mrs.  Gary. 
The  Doctor  did  not  answer.  He  was  listening  to  the  con- 
versation going  on  outside  between  the  messenger  and 
Mammy  Krenda. 

"  Leech  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Gary,  and  sprang  to  the 
door.  "  He  says  that  Leech  is  dying."  A  light  almost  of 
joy  had  come  into  her  face.  The  Doctor  rose  and  passed 
out  of  the  door  by  her. 

"  What's  that  ?  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  he  asked.  His 
face  was  as  calm  as  a  statue's  ! 

Mrs.  Gary  reported  what  she  had  heard  :  "  Leech  was 
ill — had  been  taken  with  violent  cramp,  and  was  having 
fit  after  fit.  He  was  supposed  to  be  dying.  He  was  at 
Bird  wood." 

"  You  cannot  go  ;  you  are  worn  out,"  urged  Mrs.  Gary, 
imploringly  as  the  Doctor  straightened  himself. 

"  I  must  go,"  said  the  Doctor.  He  turned  back  to  get 
his  saddle-bags. 

"It  is  the  visitation  of  God,"  murmured  Mrs.  Gary  to 
herself. 

"  Not  until  all  medical  means  have  failed,"  said  Dr. 
Gary,  gravely.  The  man  on  the  horse,  thinking  that  the 
delay  meant  that  the  Doctor  was  not  coming,  said  : 

"  They  told  me  to  tell  you  he'd  pay  you  anything  in  the 
world  you  asked." 

The  Doctor  turned  and  faced  him. 

"  He  has  not  money  enough — the  Government  has  not 
money  enough — to  induce  me  to  go,  if  he  were  not  ill," 
said  he,  slowly.  "  I  am  going  because  he  is  sick  and  I 
am  a  physician." 


556  RED   ROCK 

He  leant  down  and  kissed  his  wife,  and  walked  down  the 
path  toward  the  horses.  Mrs.  Gary  went  out  with  him, 
and  saw  him  mount  the  horse  the  messenger  had  brought 
and  ride  away  in  the  darkness.  Then  she  went  into  the 
house  with  a  white  face.  She  did  not  retire  that  night. 
Blair  and  she  sat  up  waiting  for  him. 

The  sun  was  almost  rising  when  they  saw  him  come  rid- 
ing up  through  the  orchard.  As  they  went  out  to  meet 
him,  he  sat  up  very  straight.  The  sky  was  all  pearl,  and 
he  seemed  to  be  riding  in  the  sunrise. 

As  he  dismounted  he  almost  fell,  but  recovered  himself 
and  tied  the  horse.  A  messenger  would  come  for  him,  he 
said. 

"  How  is  he  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Gary. 

"  Out  of  danger,"  he  said.  "  I  am  glad  I  went.  He 
would  have  died  if  he  had  not  been  relieved." 

Mrs.  Gary  said  nothing.  Her  eyes  were  searching  his 
face,  which  seemed  to  have  grown  thinner  in  one  night. 
She  threw  her  arm  around  him  to  support  him.  They 
walked  up  to  the  door,  and  he  sat  down  on  the  step  and 
passed  his  hand  over  his  brow.  "  I  am  very  tired.  I  have 
fought — "  he  began  ;  but  did  not  finish  the  sentence.  The 
next  second  he  sank  forward  on  the  steps. 

With  a  cry  to  Blair,  Mrs.  Gary  caught  him.  She  raised 
him  up ;  his  eyes  opened  once  and  rested  on  Mrs.  Gary's 
face,  and  a  faint  smile  came  into  them.  His  lips  mur- 
mured his  wife's  name,  and  then  Blair's ;  and  then  his  eyes 
slowly  closed,  and,  with  a  sigh,  his  head  sank  on  Mrs. 
Gary's  arm,  and  the  long  fight  was  done.  John  Gary,  of 
Bird  wood,  had  laid  down  his  arms. 

Jacquelin  was  absent  from  the  County  when  the  news  of 
Dr.  Gary's  death  reached  him.  At  first  he  could  hardly 
grasp  it.  It  seemed  as  if  it  could  not  be  true.  He  had 
never  thought  of  Dr.  Gary's  dying,  or  of  the  County  exist- 
ing without  him.  All  of  Jacquelin's  own  family  except 
Rupert  and  Miss  Thomasia  had  passed  away,  and  he  was 
accustomed  to  death.  Many  friends  had  gone.  Dr.  Gary 


MIDDLETON   REVISITS    RED   ROCK  557 

had  sat  at  their  bedsides  and  closed  their  eyes ;  but,  some- 
how, it  had  never  occurred  to  Jacquelin  to  think  of  Death 
striking  him.  He  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  the  old  life — in  all 
the  County,  its  best  and  most  enduring  type ;  and,  now  that 
he  had  gone,  Jacquelin  felt  as  though  the  foundation  were 
falling  out — as  though  the  old  life  had  passed  away  with  him. 
The  next  thought  was  of  Blair.  The  two  had  been  so 
absolutely  associated  ever  since  he  could  remember.  He 
could  hardly  think  of  her  as  surviving.  He  hurried  home. 
As  he  neared  the  neighborhood,  every  man  he  met  was  talk- 
ing of  the  Doctor.  They  all  felt  like  Jacquelin.  They 
wondered  what  would  happen,  now  that  the  Doctor  had 
gone.  At  one  place,  where  Jacquelin  had  to  wait  a  lit- 
tle while,  a  group  were  discussing  him.  They  were  talk- 
ing of  him  as  they  remembered  him  in  the  war.  They  were 
all  poor  men  ;  but  they  had  all  been  soldiers,  and  they  spoke 
of  him  as  of  a  comrade.  He  was  always  at  the  front,  they 
said  ;  he  could  hardly  have  been  there  more  if  he  had  been 
the  Colonel.  If  a  man  was  shot,  before  they  knew  it  there 
was  Dr.  Gary.  He  said  he  could  save  at  any  time  those  not 
badly  wounded  ;  those  who  were  badly  shot  he  could  only 
save  on  the  firing-line.  And  he  was  as  quick  to  look  after 
a  wounded  Yankee  as  after  a  Confederate,  they  asserted. 
"  A  wounded  man  wasn't  an  enemy,"  he  had  said ;  "  he  was 
a  patient."  They  all  had  stories  of  his  courage,  his  en- 
durance, his  kindness.  One  told  how  he  had  sent  a  fresh 
cow  over  to  the  speaker's  wife  on  a  time  when  the  children 
were  sick  ;  another  mentioned  how  he  had  come  around 
once  to  collect  some  money,  but,  finding  that  they  did  not 
have  a  cent,  had  lent  them  some  he  had  just  collected  from 
Andy  Stamper.  A  third  related  how  he  had  kissed  and 
prayed  with  a  wounded  Yankee  boy,  who  was  dying  and 
wanted  to  see  his  mother.  "  He  leant  down  by  him, "said 
the  man,  "and  put  his  arm  around  him,  and  said  '  Now 
I  lay  me/  just  for  all  the  world  like  a  woman.  And,  next 
minute,  after  the  boy  got  quiet,  he  was  leaning  over  get- 
ting a  ball  out  of  a  man  right  by  him." 


558  BED   EOCK 

There  was  a  long  pause  after  this  simple  recital,  which 
had  been  delivered  in  a  quiet,  monotonous  tone. 

"  They  say  Leech  was  as  good  as  dead  when  he  got  to 
him." 

"  I'd  V  let  him  die  a  thousand  times,"  swore  one,  with 
deep  sincerity. 

"  Yes.  Well,  so  would  I.  But,  somehow,  the  Doctor, 
he  always  was  different.  Seemed  like,  big  as  he  was,  he 
couldn't  bear  any  ill  feelin's." 

There  was  a  silence  after  this. 

It  was  broken  presently  by  one  of  the  auditors. 

"  And  that  was  the  man  they  put  in  jail,"  he  said,  bit- 
terly. 

"  Yes,  and  murdered,"  responded  the  others. 

Jacquelin  rode  on.  He,  too,  felt  that  Dr.  Gary  had 
been  murdered. 

When  he  reached  Dr.  Gary's,  the  first  person  he  met 
was  Mammy  Krenda.  The  old  woman  was  the  picture  of 
grief.  She  did  not  utter  a  word,  nor  did  the  young  man. 
She  simply  opened  the  door  and  stood  aside  while  he  softly 
entered  the  little  room  where  rested  the  silent  form  of 
her  old  master.  The  quiet  figure,  the  calm,  upturned 
face,  had  suddenly  ennobled  the  little  apartment.  The 
hours  that  had  passed  had  smoothed  out  the  traces  of  care 
and  pain,  and  the  Doctor  lay  in  perfect  rest.  There  was, 
perhaps,  a  trace  of  scorn  of  the  ills  he  had  so  long  faced, 
but  Jacquelin  did  not  note  it.  What  he  saw  was  only  per- 
fect peace,  and  a  face  of  undisturbed  nobility.  Gazing 
down  on  it,  his  heart  softened ;  his  bitter  thoughts  passed 
away,  and  he  sank  on  his  knees,  and  thanked  God  for  such 
a  life. 

He  became  conscious  presently  that  someone  was  stand- 
ing by  him,  and  he  rose  and  faced  Blair.  Neither  spoke  a 
word  ;  but  he  took  her  hand  and  held  it,  and  the  next  sec- 
ond she  sank  on  her  knees,  and  after  a  moment  he  knelt 
beside  her. 


CHAPTEK  XLV 

CAPTAIN   ALLEN   HAS   AN    UNEXPECTED   VISITOR 

DR.  GARY  had  hardly  been  laid  away,  when  the  County 
had  to  face  another  sorrow. 

The  trial  of  Captain  Allen  was  set  for  the  next  day,  and 
the  county  seat  was  in  a  fever  of  expectation  and  apprehen- 
sion. It  was  the  final  struggle  between  the  old  residents 
and  the  new  invaders,  and  it  seemed  that  the  latter  must 
triumph.  There  was  no  hope.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
the  complete  subjugation  of  the  people.  All  thoughts  were 
centred  on  the  little  village  where  the  battle  was  to  be 
joined  and  fought.  A  dark  cloud  seemed  to  have  settled 
like  a  pall  over  the  place  which  even  the  soft  afterglow  of  a 
summer  evening  could  not  lighten.  The  breath  of  flowers 
was  on  the  breeze  that  came  from  the  shrubbery-filled 
yards  and  rustled  the  trees.  Yet  the  sounds  were  subdued, 
and  the  faces  of  the  people  were  gloomy  and  grim.  The 
Judge  had  arrived,  and  had  taken  his  room  in  the  old 
Hotel.  Leech,  solemn  and  once  more  self-assertive,  with 
a  face  still  pale  from  his  recent  attack,  but  a  gleam  of  joy 
in  his  pale  blue  eyes,  was  quartered  with  Judge  Bail  in 
the  hotel.  Some  said  he  was  afraid  to  go  to  his  house ; 
some  that  he  wanted  to  be  near  the  Judge,  and  keep  his 
mind  filled  with  his  insinuations.  It  was  hinted  that  he 
was  afraid  Bail  would  offer  to  sell  out.  McRaffle  had  quar- 
relled with  Leech  and  had  made  such  an  offer.  He  had 
also  said  that  the  Judge  could  be  reached,  if  the  sum  ten- 
dered were  large  enough.  At  least,  such  was  the  rumor 
about  the  village.  The  jury  was  assembled  and  kept  to- 
gether. The  witnesses  had  been  brought  to  town  and  were 

559 


560  RED    ROCK 

also  keeping  together.  The  lawyers,  with  grave  faces,  were 
consulting  behind  locked  doors  and  closely  shut  windows 
— those  who  represented  the  Government  in  a  room  ad- 
joining Leech's,  and  not  far  from  the  Judge's  chamber  ; 
and  those  who  were  for  the  prisoner,  among  them  some 
of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  State,  in  Steve's  old  office. 
Mr.  Bagby  and  General  Legaie  were  the  leading  counsel, 
and  Jerry  lounged  about  the  door  like  a  BashkBazouk. 
The  crowd  in  the  village  was  larger  than  it  had  been  in  a 
good  while.  Men  were  assembled  in  groups  in  the  suburbs 
or  on  the  verandas,  sullen  and  almost  awe-struck,  dis- 
cussing the  points  in  the  case  with  the  intelligence  of  those 
trained  by  sharp  experience  to  know  the  gravity  of  such 
an  occasion  and  to  weigh  the  chances.  It  was  known  that 
the  principal  evidence  against  Captain  Allen  was  his  own 
confession.  This  was  his  chief  danger.  Leech  (it  was  no- 
ticeable that,  when  Leech  was  there,  it  was  not  the  Govern- 
ment, whose  soldiers  were  still  quartered  in  the  village,  but 
Leech  that  was  spoken  of  as  representing  the  prosecu- 
tion)— Leech  could  not  prove  any  act  of  his  without  that. 
The  lawyers  could  break  down  all  the  witnesses  except  one 
— the  one  to  whom  Captain  Allen  had  been  fool  enough  to 
talk  ;  her  testimony  they  could  not  get  around.  Mr.  Bagby 
and  General  Legaie  had  said  so.  Mr.  Bagby  said  that  a 
man's  own  confession  was  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world 
to  overcome  ;  that  one  was  a  fool  ever  to  confess  anything. 
Such  were  the  observations  of  a  group  assembled  on  one  of 
the  street  corners,  out  of  hearing  of  the  sentries. 

This  idea  gave  the  discussion  another  turn.  ' '  Was  Cap- 
tain Allen  really  in  love  with  Miss  Welch  ?  "  someone  ques- 
tioned. He  had  been  in  love  with  her  beyond  a  doubt, 
but  he  had  stopped  visiting  her.  Some  thought  she  had 
led  him  on,  to  get  all  out  of  him  she  could  ;  others  that 
he  had  stopped,  and  that  she  was  taking  her  revenge. 
One  element  considered  that  it  served  him  right.  Why 
should  he  have  to  go  off  after  a  Yankee  girl,  whose  people 
were  all  against  them,  when  there  were  plenty  of  their  own 


ALLEN  HAS   AN   UNEXPECTED   VISITOR          561 

girls  just  as  pretty  and  more  attractive  ?  Others  took 
Steve's  part.  If  a  man  fell  in  love  he  fell  in  love,  that 
was  all ;  and  if  he  was  in  love,  he  had  a  right  to  do  as  he 
chose — there  was  no  Mason  and  Dixon  line  in  love.  Even 
these,  however,  thought  that  Miss  Welch  was  taking  her 
revenge. 

Andy  Stamper,  who  had  come  up  and  was  grimly  listen- 
ing with  unwonted  silence,  broke  forth  with  a  strong  de- 
nunciation of  such  nonsense.  He  did  not  believe  a  word  of 
it.  Miss  Welch  had  been  to  see  Miss  Blair  Gary  and  Miss 
Thomasia,  old  Mr.  Langstaif  and  Mr.  Bagby,  and  had  done 
all  she  could  to  keep  from  testifying.  She  was  "cut  up 
as  the  mischief  about  it,"  declared  Andy.  She  had  wanted 
to  go  away,  but  Leech  was  too  sharp  for  her ;  he  had  had 
her  recognized  to  appear.  He  knew  he  could  not  convict 
the  Captain  without  her.  Her  father,  too,  was  awfully 
troubled  about  it,  and  had  been  to  Washington  to  see  what 
he  could  do.  He  could  not  bear  Leech.  Was  he  not  get- 
ting ready  to  sue  him  about  that  railroad  steal  ?  He  had 
just  come  back  from  the  North.  They  had  not  come  to  the 
court-house.  Perhaps  he  had  been  able  to  do  something  ? 

The  crowd  did  not  accept  Andy's  views.  Some  of  them 
thought  the  attitude  of  Major  Welch  was  all  a  sham  ;  that 
his  anger  with  Leech  was  just  a  pretence,  and  that  he  was 
really  in  collusion  with  him.  Had  he  not  objected  to  Cap- 
tain Allen's  visiting  at  his  house,  and  hadn't  he  done  all  he 
could  to  trace  up  Leech  when  the  Ca,ptain  had  him  hidden. 
He  had  made  a  big  show  of  giving  up  when  Captain  Steve 
and  Mr.  Gray  proved  Hiram  Still's  rascality  ;  but  he  had 
bided  his  time,  and  he  was  getting  a  pretty  sweet  revenge. 
He  had  been  North  ;  but  the  speakers  believed  it  was  to 
push  the  case  against  the  Captain,  not  to  stop  it.  He 
could  have  stopped  it  easy  enough,  if  he  had  chosen.  He 
was  "in  with  the  biggest  of  'em." 

Little  Andy  chewed  in  glum  silence.  Suddenly  he  burst 
out  : 

"  Well,  I  say  that  man  don't  pretend  to  nothin'.  Whether 


562  KED   ROCK 

he  likes  the  Captain  or  whether  he  don't,  or  whether  you 
like  him  or  whether  you  don't,  is  one  thing.  But  what 
he  is,  he  is  ;  and  he  don't  pretend  to  nothin'.  If  all  Yan- 
kees was  like  him,  I  wouldn't  care  how  many  they  was — 
unless  I  had  to  fight  'em.'* 

This  sententious  speech  had  its  effect  on  the  crowd,  and 
the  sergeant  was  proceeding  to  expound  further  his  opin- 
ion. But  just  then  the  sound  of  wheels  was  heard  ;  and  the 
next  moment  a  close  carriage,  with  a  good  pair  of  horses, 
drove  quickly  by  them  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  It  was  recog- 
nized as  Major  Welch's  carriage,  and,  though  the  curtains 
were  half-drawn,  the  group  recognized  the  occupants  as 
Major  and  Mrs.  Welch  and  their  daughter,  and  one  other 
person,  who  was  leaning  back.  One  man  thought  it  looked 
like  old  Mr.  Langstaff  ;  but,  of  course,  it  was  not  he.  A 
number  of  groans  followed  the  carriage  as  it  passed  on 
down  the  street  toward  the  hotel.  Andy's  countenance 
and  stock  both  fell. 

To  a  man  like  Steve  Allen  the  sentence  which  appeared 
to  wait  for  him  on  the  morrow  was  worse  than  death.  He 
had  faced  death  scores  of  times,  and  would  readily  have 
done  so  again,  on  any  occasion.  But  he  had  never  appre- 
hended that  a  shameful  sentence,  however  undeserved, 
would  be  passed  on  him.  Better,  a  thousand  times,  that 
he  had  died  in  battle  and  lain  with  his  comrades,  who  had 
left  honorable  names.  He  summoned  to  his  aid  all  his  for- 
titude, and  tried  to  soothe  himself  with  the  knowledge  that 
he  had  never  committed  a  dishonorable  act ;  that  the  cause 
of  his  present  situation  was  the  desire  to  act  a  noble  part 
and  save  others.  But  do  what  he  might,  he  could  not  keep 
from  his  mind  the  feeling  that,  deserved  or  not,  a  convic- 
tion and  sentence  to  the  penitentiary  placed  a  stigma  on 
him  never  to  be  erased.  All  his  high  hopes  would  be 
blighted,  his  future  ruined  ;  he  would  have  brought  dis- 
grace on  his  family  ;  he  could  never  more  face  men  as  he 
had  done  heretofore  ;  he  would  not  be  fit  to  speak  to  a 
lady. 


ALLEN   HAS    AN   UNEXPECTED   VISITOR          563 

He  was  aware  at  intervals  that  this  was  a  weakness,  for 
he  had  moments  when  he  recognized  that  an  undeserved  sen- 
tence could  not  degrade ;  but  do  what  he  might,  the  hor- 
ror of  it  would  come  back  to  him.  With  it  was  another 
wound.  The  blow  had  been  struck  by  her  whom  he  loved. 
The  girl  whom  he  had  given  his  whole  heart  to  and  whom 
he  had  thought  the  truest,  bravest,  highest  woman  in  all 
the  world,  to  whom  he  had  spoken  as  he  would  not  have 
spoken  to  any  other  man  or  woman,  and  who,  he  had 
hoped,  cared  for  him,  had  turned  and  betrayed  him.  But  for 
her  he  would  be  free  to-morrow.  He  knew  it  himself,  and 
his  lawyers,  in  their  last  interview  with  him,  just  over,  had 
told  him  so.  They  would  do  what  they  could ;  but  the 
fact  remained  that  he  had  confessed  his  part  in  the  act  for 
which  the  prosecution  was  brought,  and  they  did  not  see 
how  they  could  get  around  it.  Some  of  them  had  sug- 
gested that  they  had  a  single  chance.  The  witness  was  in 
a  condition  of  high  excitement ;  and  they  might,  by  se- 
vere cross-examination,  confuse  her  and  destroy  the  force 
of  her  evidence.  This  Steve  promptly  vetoed.  He  would 
not  have  it  done.  The  lawyers  gazed  at  him  in  dismay. 

"  My  dear  sir,  it  is  your  only  chance/' 

"  I  do  not  care,  I  will  not  have  it,"  said  Steve,  firmly. 
"  I  said  it,  and  I  will  have  no  cross-examination  on  that 
point/' 

"  That  is  Quixotic." 

"  Then  I'll  be  Quixotic.  I've  been  so  before.  Pon 
Quixote  was  a  gentleman."  General  Legaie's  eyes  sparkled 
suddenly  as  they  rested  on  him. 

They  had  left  him,  saying  good-by  with  that  solemnity 
which  showed  how  forlorn  their  hope  was.  As  they  reached 
the  outer  door  and  passed  across  the  court-green,  old  Mr. 
Bagby  said,  "That  is  really  a  most  extraordinary  young 
man,  and  to  think  that  such  a  man  should  be  in  prison 
under  indictment." 

The  little  General  breathed  a  deep  and  fervent  oath. 

"  What  a  pity  that  he  could  not  have  married  that  nice 


564  RED    HOCK 

young  lady,  Miss  Welch — such  a  nice  yonng  lady  ! "  pro- 
ceeded Mr.  Bagby>  half  in  soliloquy. 

"  Marry  her  !  Marry  that  woman  !  The  viper  !  "  ex- 
ploded the  General.  "  I'd  rather  die  !  " 

"  Oh,  a  very  nice  young  lady,"  pursued  Mr.  Bagby  to 
himself,  as  he  walked  on,  feeling  his  way  in  the  darkness. 
He  did  not  tell  the  General  that  he  had  lately  had  an  in- 
terview which  had  raised  Miss  Rath  Welch  in  his  esteem 
and  changed  her,  in  his  mind,  from  the  viper  which  the 
General  conceived  her  to  be,  to  the  nice  young  lady  of 
whom  he  muttered  in  the  dusk  of  the  summer  night. 

This  interview  with  his  lawyers  had  been  over  an  hour 
ago.  Steve  was  still  in  the  room  in  which  the  interview 
had  been  held  ;  but  the  high  stand  which  he  had  taken  with 
his  counsel  had  now  lost  some  of  its  loftiness  as  the  hard- 
ness of  his  position  stood  nakedly  before  him.  After  all, 
had  not  this  girl  betrayed  him  ?  Why  should  he  sacrifice 
himself  for  her  ?  This  thought  flitted  before  Steve, 
only  for  an  instant.  He  put  it  away  from  him  with  a  gest- 
ure of  bitterness.  At  least  he  would  be  a  gentleman,  what- 
ever befell.  He  took  from  his  pocket  a  pistol  which  he 
wore  when  he  surrendered,  and  which  had  not  been  taken 
from  him,  and  examined  it  attentively,  with  a  curious  ex- 
pression on  his  face.  He  was  thinking  deeply.  Suddenly 
his  expression  changed.  "  Never  !  Cowardice  ! "  He 
flung  the  pistol  over  on  the  cot  by  the  window.  The  re- 
flection had  come  to  him  that  it  would  be  taken  as  a  proof 
of  fear  as  well  as  of  guilt.  And,  moreover,  the  thought 
had  come  that  he  might  still  be  of  use. 

The  triumph  of  Leech  recurred  to  him.  He  very  often 
thought  of  Leech — of  Leech,  who  had  hounded  him  down, 
and  not  only  him,  but  others  a  thousand  times  better  :  Dr. 
Gary,  the  high-minded,  noble  gentleman,  the  faithful 
Christian.  Leech,  the  vampire,  sucking  the  life-blood  of 
the  people  ;  the  harpy,  battening  on  the  writhing  body  of 
the  prostrate  State,  had  broken  Dr.  Gary's  heart.  Jacque- 
lin  had  told  Steve  how  the  Doctor  looked  as  he  lay  in  his 


ALLEN   HAS   AN   UNEXPECTED   VISITOR          565 

coffin,  murdered  ;  his  face  full  of  scars,  but  calm  with  the 
stamp  of  immortal  courage — like  an  old  knight,  paladin 
of  a  lost  cause,  stricken  through  the  heart  in  a  final  charge, 
before  the  light  of  victory  could  fade  from  his  brow. 
Steve,  thinking  of  this,  was  leaning  against  the  bars  of  his 
open  window,  looking  away  into  space  through  the  dusk. 
The  window  was  in  the  rear  of  the  jail,  and  looked  down 
on  a  vacant,  weed-grown  lot,  back  of  the  court-green. 
Steve  became  conscious  of  the  presence  of  two  men  in  the 
open  space  beneath.  They  had  just  moved,  so  as  to  be  in 
the  shadow  of  the  building,  and  were  right  below  his  win- 
dow, conversing  earnestly.  Suddenly  their  voices  rose, 
and  Steve  was  almost  startled  to  recognize  Leech  and 
McEaffle.  He  could  not  help  hearing  what  they  were 
saying.  McEaffle  was  insisting  on  something,  and  Leech 
was  refusing.  McEaffle  broke  out  in  a  passion.  He  was 
evidently  under  the  influence  of  liquor. 

"You  owe  it  to  me.  You  said  you  would  pay  me  $1,000 
for  him,  alive  or  dead,"  he  asserted.  "  I  kept  my  part  of 
the  bargain  ;  now,  blank  you  !  stand  up  to  yours." 

"  If  you  had  brought  him  dead,  I  might  have  paid  ;  but 
you  did  not  capture  him,"  said  Leech,  with  a  harsh  laugh. 
"He  gave  himself  up." 

' ( Well,  it  was  in  consequence  of  the  report  I  circulated," 
insisted  McEaffle.  "  Do  you  suppose  he'd  have  given  him- 
self up,  if  he  had  not  heard  that  if  he  did  so  the  others 
would  be  released  ?  " 

Leech  laughed  incredulously.     "  More  fool  he  !  " 

1 '  And  whose  idea  was  that  ?  " 

"  My  friend,  there's  no  use  to  try  that  game  on  me. 
What  good  would  that  have  done,  if  I  had  not  induced 
Miss  Welch  to  tell  what  your  friend  was  fool  enough  to  con- 
fide to  her  ?  Where  would  we  have  been  but  for  her  testi- 
mony ?  If  anyone  is  entitled  to  claim  the  reward  I  offered, 
I  am  the  man.  I  must  protect  the  Government."  He 
spoke  unctuously. 

"  You  think  you  are  entitled  to  everything.     I  know 


566  RED   KOCK 

how  you'll  protect  the  Government ! "  sneered  McEaffle. 
"  Suppose  your  important  witness  won't  testify  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  She'll  sleep  in  jail.  Fll  make  Bail  give  her  the  apart- 
ment next  her  friend,"  said  Leech,  scornfully.  "  They'll 
enjoy  that." 

Leech  never  knew  how  close  Death  brushed  by  him  that 
instant.  Steve's  pistol  was  lying  on  the  bed,  within  a  foot 
of  him.  He  seized  it.  He  would  rid  the  country  of  that 
cursed  presence,  and  pay  his  own  debt  at  the  same  time. 
He  had  cocked  the  pistol  involuntarily,  when  he  came  to 
himself.  Oh  !  if  he  only  had  him  face  to  face,  in  an  open 
field,  both  armed,  he  could  settle  the  final  score  !  He  un- 
cocked the  pistol  and  flung  it  away  from  him. 

"  Miss  Welch  won't  refuse,"  Leech  went  on,  ' '  I  am 
smart  enough  to  know  how  to  deal  with  women  as  well  as 
men."  He  laughed  arrogantly. 

"  You  think  so  ?  You  are  sometimes  too  blanked  smart 
for  your  own  good,"  said  McEaffle. 

Leech,  stung  by  the  speech,  turned  on  him. 

"  I'll  put  you  on  the  stand,"  he  threatened. 

"  Not  much,  you  won't.     I  won't  testify." 

"  You're  getting  pretty  squeamish  all  of  a  sudden," 
sneered  Leech. 

McEaffle  wheeled  on  him  in  a  rage. 

( '  Don't  you  dare  sneer  at  me  that  way,"  he  said.  "  If 
you  do,  I'll " 

He  seized  Leech  by  the  shoulder. 

"Fll  tell  how  you  deal  with  women — for  instance, 
with  Miss  Bush,  the  school-teacher,  alias  Mrs.  Jonadab 
Leech  !  "  he  hissed. 

Leech  seemed  suddenly  to  shrink  up. 

"  What  do  you  know  about — about  her  ?  " 

"  Put  me  on  the  stand,  and  I'll  tell  you  all  you  want  to 
know,"  said  McEaffle,  tauntingly.  "  Perhaps,  you  don't 
want  me  as  a  witness  now  ?  Well,  I'll  tell  you  what 
Fll  do.  Pay  me  the  thousand  dollars,  or — I  tell  you — 


ALLEN   HAS   AN   UNEXPECTED   VISITOK          567 

endorse  my  note  for  a  thousand,  and  Fll  keep  quiet.  Oth- 
erwise, Fll  have  to  get  Dr.  Still  to  endorse  it,  or  maybe 
even  the  Governor,"  he  said,  meaningly. 

"  Well,  if  I  do,  will  you  swear  that  you  will  never  open 
your  mouth  again  about  this  to  a  single  soul  on  earth  ?  " 

"  Make  it  twelve  hundred/'  said  Mcliaffle.  "  The  Gov- 
ernor'd  give  twice  that  to  know  of  Mrs.  Leech.  I  reckon 
it  would  be  some  time  before  you'd  dine  with  Miss  Kraf ton 
again." 

Leech  seized  him  to  stop  him. 

The  rest  of  the  conversation  was  in  a  lower  key,  and 
they  soon  moved  off  together,  leaving  Steve  still  in  dark- 
ness, literally  and  figuratively.  But  he  had  conquered  a 
great  temptation.  This  reflection,  after  a  time,  brought  a 
feeling  almost  of  peacef ulness.  He  threw  himself  on  the 
bed,  and  began  to  go  over  his  life.  Presently  he  began  in 
humility  to  look  to  a  Higher  Power. 

At  that  moment  his  door  was  opened,  and  a  voice 
said  : 

"A  visitor  to  see  you,  Capt'n.  Will  you  come  to  the 
parlor  ?  "  The  messenger  was  the  old  Sergeant,  O'Meara, 
whom  Thurston  had  placed  in  charge  of  the  prison. 

Steve,  after  a  moment,  left  his  cell  and  walked  slowly 
through  the  corridor  to  the  apartment  adjoining  the  jailer's 
quarters,  which  was  dignified  by  the  name  of  parlor.  It 
was  lighted  by  a  small  lamp,  the  rays  of  which  hardly 
reached  the  walls.  The  room  was  empty.  But  Steve  could 
hear  from  the  voices  that  there  were  two  persons  in  the 
next  room.  He  walked  to  the  open  window  and  waited, 
with  his  head  resting  on  his  arm  against  the  bars.  The 
same  reverie  from  which  he  had  been  aroused  returned. 

The  door  behind  him  opened  and  closed  softly. 

"  Captain  Allen  I"  said  a  faint  voice.     Steve  turned. 

"  Miss  Welch  ]"  He  stood  dumfonnded.  Before  him, 
with  her  veil  only  half  thrown  back,  was  Ruth  Welch. 
She  stood  just  inside  the  door,  motionless  as  though  planted 
on  the  spot ;  and,  as  Steve  did  not  move,  the  whole  space 


568  RED    ROCK 

of  the  room  was  between  them.  Her  eyes,  which  she  lifted 
for  a  second  to  Steve's  face,  fell. 

"  Captain  Allen,"  she  began,  and  then  faltered.  After 
a  second,  however,  with  an  effort  she  began  again. 

"  I  have  come  to  see  you  ;  to  see — to  see  if  there  is  noth- 
ing I  can  do  to — to  help  you  ?  " 

At  the  words,  Steve's  heart  hardened. 

tf  No,  thank  you,  there  is  nothing/'  he  said.  His  voice 
was  hard  and  unnatural.  She  made  a  movement,  almost 
as  if  she  shrank  back.  But  she  began  again,  speaking  very 
slowly  and  painfully : 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  say.  But  I  want — I  want  to 

see  if  there  is  nothing ?"  She  broke  off,  but  began 

again :  "  You  don't  know  how  deeply — how  terribly — 

I "  Her  voice  failed  her.  She  stopped  and  wrung 

her  hands.  "  Is  there  nothing — nothing  I  can  do  ?  " 

Steve  stood  like  stone.     "  No,  nothing." 

She  broke  the  silence  that  fell. 

"I  thought  there  was — there  might  be.  I  hoped — 
there  might  be.  You  do  not  know  how  terribly  I  feel.  I 
hoped  there  might  be  some  way  for  me  to  help  you,  to 
atone  for  my  wicked  folly.  I  did  not  know " 

Her  voice  failed  again,  and  she  put  her  handkerchief 
quickly  to  her  eyes. 

Steve,  up  to  this  time,  had  not  volunteered  a  word  or 
stirred  from  where  he  stood.  His  heart  began  to  relent, 
and  he  felt  that  he  must  say  something. 

"  You  need  not  reproach  yourself,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
not  done  so.  It  was  my  folly,  not  yours." 

"  Oh,  no,  no  !  I  will  not  let  you  say  that,"  she  broke 
out,  vehemently.  "  You  trusted  me.  You  have  been  only 
brave  and  noble.  But  I  did  not  know  !  I  thought,  when 
I  told  it,  it  would  help  you.  You  will  believe  that,  will 
you  not  ?  " 

She  came  a  step  or  two  nearer  in  her  intensity,  and 
gazed  at  him  earnestly. 

"  Yes,  if  you  say  so,"  said  Steve. 


ALLEN  HAS  AN.  UNEXPECTED  VISITOR       569 

"  I  do,"  she  declared,  earnestly.  "I  tli ought,  when  they 
were  prosecuting  you,  that  it  would  set  you  in  the  right 
light ;  and  it  seems  that  dreadful  man  knew  how  to  distort 
it  and  knew —  Oh  !  it  all  seems  like  a  dreadful  nightmare  ! 
I  have  done  everything  I  could.  And  my  father  has,  too. 
Is  there  no  way  ?  Do  you  not  know  of  one  way  in  which 
my  testimony  could  not  be  taken  ? "  Her  voice  faltered, 
so  that  Steve  could  scarcely  catch  the  words. 

"No,  none  whatsoever/' 

"  Yes.  There  is  one  way.  I  have  heard — I  have  been 
told  there  is  one,"  she  persisted,  faintly. 

"And  what  is  that?"  asked  Steve,  coldly.  Suddenly 
she  broke  down. 

"  How  can  you  be  so  hard  on  me — so  cruel  ?  "  she  sobbed. 

Steve  watched  her,  at  first  almost  grimly ;  but  her  weep- 
ing softened  him. 

"Miss  Welch,  do  not  distress  yourself,"  he  said,  quietly. 
"  There  is  no  way  to  help  me  ;  but  it  is  not  your  fault.  I 
believe  what  you  have  told  me." 

"  There  is  one  way,"  she  said. 

"And  that  is?" 

"  To  marry  me." 

"  What  ! "     Steve  almost  tottered. 

"  To  marry  me.  If  you  marry  me,  I  could  not  be  made 
to  testify  against  you.  I  have  been  told  so."  She  had  re- 
covered her  composure  and  was  speaking  quite  calmly. 

"  I  could  not  let  you  do  that,"  said  Steve,  firmly. 

"  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  do  it,"  she  went  on,  speak- 
ing quite  as  if  she  were  but  finishing  her  first  sentence. 
"  And  afterward,  you  could — get — a — a — divorce.  I  would 
go  away  and  hide  myself,  and  never,  never  trouble  you 
again."  Her  composure  deserted  her,  and  she  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands.  If  she  could  have  seen  Steve's  face  at 
that  moment — the  sudden  flame  which  lit  it  up — and  the 
gesture  which  he  made,  as  though  he  would  have  caught  her 
in  his  arms,  and  that  with  which  he  restrained  himself  and 
reasserted  his  self-control,  she  might  not  have  wept.  Bat 


570  BED 

she  did  not  see  it,  and  Steve  was  able  to  master  himself, 
though  when  he  spoke  his  voice  had  wholly  changed. 

"  I  could  not  do  that,"  he  said,  gently,  and  with  a  new 
tone.  "  I  could  not  allow  you  to  sacrifice  yourself." 

"It  would  not  be —    Yes,  you  can,"  she  Beaded. 

"No,"  said  Steve,  almost  sternly.  "  Ho  not,  I  beg 
you."  He  lifted  his  hand  as  though  to  put  her  from  him  ; 
but  suddenly  clutched  at  his  heart. 

She  stopped  sobbing.     He  turned  half -away. 

"  Go,"  he  said.     "  Leave  me,  please." 

His  voice  could  scarcely  be  heard,  and  he  put  his  hand 
to  his  forehead.  She  turned  without  a  word,  and  moved 
slowly  toward  the  door.  As  she  put  out  her  hand  to  open 
it,  she  suddenly  sank  in  a  heap  on  the  floor.  In  a  second 
Steve  was  at  her  side.  He  stooped  and  lifted  her,  as 
though  she  were  a  child. 

' '  Ruth,"  he  said ;  and,  as  she  opened  her  eyes,  "  forgive 
me."  He  caught  the  hem  of  her  dress  and  crushed  it 
against  his  lips.  "  I  could  not  let  you  do  that.  I  could 
not  let  you  sacrifice  yourself." 

' '  It  is  no  sacrifice.  Do  you  not  see  ?  Oh  !  Can  you 

not  see  that — I — love ?  "  She  could  not  complete  the 

sentence.  Her  head  drooped. 

"  What !  Euth  !  "  Steve  stood  her  up  on  her  feet  and 
held  her  at  arm's  length.  "  Ruth  Welch,  for  God's  sake 
do  not  tell  me  that  unless  it  is  true."  His  eyes  were  burn- 
ing, and  were  fastened  on  her  face  with  a  gaze  that  seemed 
almost  to  scorch  her. 

"  It  is  true,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice,  and  tried  to  turn 
her  face  away.  Steve  did  not  stir. 

"  Wait,"  he  said,  hoarsely.  "  Does  your  mother  know 
of  this?" 

"  Yes."    She  was  looking  in  his  eyes  now  quite  calmly. 

"Where  is  she?" 

"In  the  next  room." 

Steve  suddenly  caught  her  in  his  arms. 

A  little  later  Mrs.  Welch  and  Steve  had  an  interview. 


AND   THERE,  IN   THE   LITTLE   PARLOR,   STEVE   AND   RUTH   WERE   MARRIED. 


ALLEN  HAS   AN   UNEXPECTED   VISITOR          571 

Steve  told  her  that  while  he  had  loved  her  daughter  better 
than  his  life,  ever  since  the  day  he  had  met  her,  and  while 
the  knowledge  that  she  cared  for  him  had  changed  the 
world  for  him,  that  very  fact  would  not  permit  him  to  let 
her  take  the  step  she  proposed.  He  would  not  allow  her 
to  sacrifice  herself  by  marrying  him  when  under  a  criminal 
charge,  and  with  a  sentence  staring  him  in  the  face.  Mrs. 
Welch  adroitly  met  this  objection  with  the  plausible  argu- 
ment that  it  was  as  much  on  her  daughter's  account  as  on 
his  that  she  desired  it.  She  spoke  for  her  husband  as  well 
as  for  herself.  It  would  prevent  the  horror  of  her  daughter's 
having  to  appear,  and  give  testimony  against  him,  in  open 
court.  She  did  not  believe  Ruth  could  stand  the  ordeal. 
She  knew  she  would  not  testify,  even  though  she  should  be 
sent  to  jail  and  kept  there.  This  Ruth  stoutly  confirmed. 
She  would  die  before  she  would  answer  a  question. 

Mrs.  Welch,  having  come  over  to  Steve's  side,  was  a 
powerful  ally  ;  and  as  Ruth  resolutely  maintained  her  posi- 
tion that  she  would  die  in  prison  before  she  would  utter 
one  word,  there  was  nothing  else  for  Steve  to  do  but 
yield  to  their  proposal.  He  raised  the  point  that  it  was 
too  late,  as  it  was  now  midnight,  and  no  license  could  be 
secured  or  clergyman  be  found.  But  Mrs.  Welch  was 
prepared  to  meet  this  objection.  Captain  Thurston  had 
authority  under  the  law  to  issue  the  license,  and  a  preacher 
could  be  secured.  Indeed,  Mr.  Langstaff  had  come  down 
to  the  county  seat  with  them. 

So  in  a  short  time  these  preliminaries  were  settled.  A 
few  friends  were  brought  in  quietly  :  General  Legaie,  who 
knelt  on  one  knee  and  lifting  Ruth's  hand  kissed  it  rever- 
ently ;  Mr.  Bagby,  whose  eyes  twinkled  with  deep  satis- 
faction over  a  double  victory ;  Reely  Thurston  and  Jacquelin 
Gray,  and  Andy  Stamper  who  had  got  wind  of  the  matter 
and  asked  permission  to  come.  And  there  in  the  little 
dingy  room,  in  the  presence  of  these  and  of  Major  and 
Mrs.  Welch,  Steve  Allen  and  Ruth  Welch  were  married  at 
midnight  by  old  Mr.  Langstaff. 


CHAPTER  XLVI 

THE    OLD    LAWYER    DECLINES    TO    SURPRISE    THE   COURT, 
AtfD   SURPRISES    LEECH 

THE  next  morning  the  case  was  called,  and  the  whole 
village  was  astir.  In  the  little  conclave  held  after  the  mar- 
riage it  had  been  discussed  whether  anything  should  be 
said  about  it  until  after  the  jury  was  impanelled,  when  it 
could  be  sprung  on  Leech,  and,  in  the  surprise  thus  oc- 
casioned, the  jury  be  forced  to  give  a  verdict  of  acquittal. 

Some  were  for  taking  this  course,  and  this  was  Steve's 
wish  ;  but  old  Mr.  Bagby  said,  No.  He  had  lost  one  case, 
he  said,  by  allowing  his  client  to  act  on  a  sentiment,  and 
he  would  not  risk  another.  Sentiment  was  sentiment,  but 
law  was  law.  He  looked  through  his  spectacles  signifi- 
cantly at  Major  Welch.  He  believed  in  making  every  de- 
fence as  you  came  to  it.  So,  as  Major  Welch  was  sure  he 
would  receive  the  telegrams  he  was  expecting  from  the 
North,  and  agreed  with  Mr.  Bagby,  this  plan  was  adopted. 
It  was  decided  to  announce  the  marriage  before  the  begin- 
ning of  the  trial,  and  take  the  postponement  that  would 
almost  inevitably  occur.  • 

The  secret  was  well  kept,  and,  up  to  the  last  moment 
before  the  trial,  there  was  no  idea  on  Leech's  part  of  what 
had  taken  place.  He  had  put  on  a  new  and  longer  black 
coat  than  usual,  and  a  carefully  tied  white  cravat  ;  and,  with 
his  books  and  papers  clasped  to  his  breast,  and  his  pale 
eyes  downcast  except  when  he  lifted  them  covertly  and 
cast  a  swift  glance  of  conscious  triumph  around  him,  he 
moved  about  the  court-green  busy  and  noiseless.  He  was 
still  haggard  from  his  late  illness,  but  there  was  an  air  of 

572 


THE  OLD  LAWYER   SURPRISES   LEECH          573 

triumph  even  in  the  napping  of  his  loose  coat  and  the  line 
of  his  thin  back. 

But,  notwithstanding  Leech's  ignorance,  an  idea  had 
got  abroad  that  something  unusual  would  happen.  The 
lawyers  for  Captain  Allen  were  still  grave  ;  but  they  wore 
a  more  confident  air  than  they  had  exhibited  yesterday. 
Andy  Stamper  was  chirpy  and  facetious,  and  had  a  look 
of  deeper  mystery  than  he  was  wont  to  wear  except  when 
events  were  about  to  happen.  It  was  known  that  Major 
Welch,  who  had  just  returned  from  the  North,  had  been 
to  the  railway  station  after  midnight,  and  had  remained 
there  until  daybreak  ;  and  it  was  known,  further,  that  Mrs. 
Welch  and  Miss  Welch  had  left  the  tavern,  and  were  stay- 
ing at  Mrs.  Dockett's.  So  there  was  something  in  the  air. 
It  was  rumored  that  McRafne  had  been  sent  away  by  Leech. 

When  Captain  Allen  walked  across  the  green  from  the 
jail  to  the  court-house,  he  wore  a  look  of  triumph  which 
cheered  the  hearts  of  his  friends.  They  crowded  round 
him,  to  speak  to  him  and  shake  his  hand  ;  and  he  laughed 
and  chatted  with  them  like  a  victor,  not  like  a  prisoner. 
One  man  called  to  him  :  "  We  came  near  taking  you  out 
of  yonder  last  night,  Captain  ;  and  if  you  just  crook  your 
finger,  we'll  clean  up  the  whole  gang  now.  There's  several 
of  the  old  Company  around  here  yet."  Steve  looked  over 
at  him  and  smiled. 

"It's  all  right,  Michael.  Don't  trouble  yourself."  And 
the  crowd  pressed  after  him  into  the  court-house,  which 
was  already  jammed. 

The  case  was  called,  and  the  Court  asked  the  usual 
question  whether  counsel  were  ready.  Leech  replied  meek- 
ly that  the  Government  was  ready,  and  glanced  across  at 
the  array  of  counsel  for  the  prisoner.  After  a  moment's 
hesitation,  old  Mr.  Bagby  slowly  rose : 

"  If  the  Court  please! "  he  said,  "  we  are  ready  for  the 
defence  ;  but  before  entering  on  the  case,  there  is  a  state- 
ment which  I  feel — which  we  feel — it  is  proper  we  should 
make,  as  we  do  not  wish  to  surprise  the  Court,  or  to  take 


574  RED   ROCK 

any  advantage  of  a  state  of  facts  which  may  cause  a  sur- 
prise to  the  other  side." 

He  turned  to  Leech,  on  whose  face  a  look  of  wonder  was 
beginning  to  dawn. 

"  I  believe  I  see  among  the  list  of  witnesses  summoned 
for  the  prosecution  the  name  of  a  witness — "  (the  old  law- 
yer took  up  the  book  containing  the  list  of  witnesses,  and 
scanned  it  as  if  he  had  not  seen  it  before) — "of  a  young 
lady — ah — Miss  Welch — who,  I  believe,  has  been  summoned 
ah — who  I  understand  has  been  summoned  to  prove — ah — 
to  testify  to  certain  statements  alleged  to  have  been  made 
by  our  client,  which  are  deemed  material."  He  looked 
across  at  Leech,  who  was  staring  at  him  in  vague  wonder. 
"  Am  I  correct  .in  this,  Colonel  Leech  ?  "  His  voice  was 
never  so  unctuous  and  his  manner  so  civil  as  when  he  was 
preparing  a  deadly  thrust. 

"  Umph,  I  don't  know.  I  believe  there  is  a  witness  of 
that  name,  to  prove  some  of  the  prisoner's  confessions. 
There  are  a  number  of  others.  We  are  not  dependent  on 
her  at  all,"  said  Leech,  with  insolent  indifference. 

ee  Ah  I"  drawled  the  old  lawyer.  "  I  was  misinformed." 
With  a  bow,  he  took  his  seat.  As  he  did  so,  he  added, 
slowly,  "  I  understood  she  was  a  material  witness — a  very 

material  witness.  If  she  is  not,  of  course ? "  He 

looked  benignantly  at  the  jury  and  shut  his  lips.  He  was 
apparently  relieved.  Leech  cleared  his  throat  nervously. 
He  saw  he  had  lost  whatever  advantage  the  statement 
would  have  given  him. 

"  I  did  not  mean  that.  I  did  not  mean  to  say  she  is  not 
a  material  witness." 

The  old  lawyer  turned  his  eyes  on  him  slowly.  ( '  A  very 
material  witness  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  yes  ;  I  suppose  you  might  say  so." 

Mr.  Bagby  rose  again. 

"Then  I  will  resume  my  statement.  I  am  informed 
that  this  young  lady  to  whom  I  have  referred  is  summoned 
to  prove  certain  statements  of  our  client,  respecting  his 


THE   OLD   LAWYER  SURPRISES   LEECH          575 

supposed  connection  with  the  secret  and  unlawful  order 
for  the  suppression  of  which  the  law,  under  which  this 
prosecution  is  ostensibly  made,  was  framed.  I  am  informed, 
further,  that  she  is  a  very  material  witness — so  material, 
indeed,  that  but  for  her  testimony  it  is  possible  this  prose- 
cution, in  this  particular  form,  might  not  have  taken 
place/' 

Leech  cleared  his  throat  ominously,  and  Mr.  Bagby 
looked  at  him  benignly. 

"  I  am  inclined  to  credit  this  report  not  only  from  facts 
within  our  own  knowledge,  but  also  because  I  understand 
that  these  conjectured  statements,  whatever  they  were, 
were  made  in  the  course  of  conversation  of  a  kind  peculi- 
arly confidential,  under  seal  of  a  friendship  unusually  close 
and  intimate  ;  and  I  cannot  believe  that  the  learned  and 
amiable  counsel  for  the  Government  would  have  wished  to 
violate  wantonly  such  a  confidence.  I  can  only  think  he 
considered  that  his  duty  required  it.  And  I  am  glad  to 
say  I  have  his  own  statement  that  such  was  his  view  of  the 
case  "  (he  took  from  his  hat  a  paper  and  held  it  in  his 
hand),  "in  a  letter  which  he  personally  wrote  to  the  young 
lady's  father. 

"  It  is  under  these  circumstances  that  I  feel  it  is  due  to 
the  Court,  and  may  lead  to  a  different  disposition  of  the 
case,  to  say  to  the  Court  that  the  young  lady  in  question  is 
not  an  eligible  witness  in  this  prosecution."  (He  here  took 
from  his  hat  another  paper.)  "She  has  been  united  in 
the  bonds  of  matrimony  to  my  client,  and  is  at  present  the 
wife  of  the  accused,  Captain  Stevenson  Allen,  and  thus  is 
not  an  eligible  witness  for  or  against  him." 

He  resumed  his  seat  slowly  and  sedately,  amid  the  dead 
silence  which  had  fallen  on  the  court-room.  The  next 
moment  the  crowd  took  in  the  situation,  and  the  old  court- 
room rang  with  cheer  after  cheer.  Even  the  jury  were 
moved  to  grin,  and  exchanged  pleased  glances  and  words 
of  wonder  and  satisfaction. 

During  the  tumult  that  went  on,  Leech's  face  was  a  study. 


676  RED   ROCK 

Surprise,  dismay,  baffled  revenge,  rage,  fear,  craftiness,  dis- 
simulation— all  had  their  place.  He  looked  about  him  at 
the  shouting  assembly,  and  gauged  all  the  elements.  He 
took  in  Captain  Thurston's  jolly  face,  Major  Welch's  look 
of  satisfaction,  and  the  shrewd  content  of  old  Mr.  Bagby, 
as  Major  Welch  handed  him  a  batch  of  telegrams.  He  saw 
the  other  lawyers'  faces  light  up  as  the  telegrams  were 
handed  on  to  them  and  were  eagerly  scanned.  He  knew 
the  wires  had  been  well  worked.  He  calculated  all  the 
chances.  And  when  the  judge,  with  sharp  reprimands 
and  angry  threats,  had  quelled  the  noise  and  restored 
order,  Leech  rose. 

It  was  true,  he  said,  that  the  testimony  of  the  witness 
mentioned  was  material  in  the  aspect  of  the  case  as  it  stood 
at  present,  and  it  was  true  that  he  had  summoned  Miss 
Welch  as  a  witness,  only  under  the  strictest  sense  of  duty 
and  at  the  greatest  cost  of  pain  to  himself,  as  he  had  al- 
ready stated  to  her  father.  And  he  was  glad  that  they  at 
last  recognized  it.  He  had  not  known  that  the  friend- 
ship between  the — ah — witness  and  the  prisoner,  had  been 
carried  so  far — indeed,  it  seemed  that  this  last  degree  of 
intimacy  must  have  been  of  quite  recent  date.  Had  he 
known  it,  the.  Court  would  have  been  spared  some  trouble 
and  the  Government  considerable  expense.  As  it  was, 
while  he  was  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  Government 
could  not  compel  the  witness  to  testify  when  the  disability 
had  arisen  under  such  circumstances  (here  he  glanced  at 
the  judge,  and  read  on  his  countenance  that  this  view  was 
untenable  ;  so  he  added),  or  could  not  convict  without  the 
witness,  his  idea  of  his  duty  to  the  Government  was  so 
high  that  he  was  unwilling  to  risk  going  to  trial  under  the 
circumstances,  until  he  had  summoned  one  or  two  other 
witnesses  who  could  prove  the  same  facts  ;  and  he  should 
therefore  consent  to  an  adjournment  till  next  day. 

Mr.  Bagby  rose.  "  You  will  ask  for  it/'  he  said,  look- 
ing at  Leech.  "  We  are  ready  to  proceed."  He  addressed 
the  Court  in  a  few  words,  and  urged  that  the  case  proceed 


THE   OLD   LAWYER  SURPRISES   LEECH  577 

or  that  the  prosecution  be  dismissed.  This  Leech  "could 
not  consent  to/'  and  the  Court  refused  it.  Then  the  old 
lawyer  more  firmly  insisted  that  his  client  be  admitted 
to  bail. 

Leech  was  about  to  rise  to  resist  this  also.  At  that  mo- 
ment, however,  a  dispatch  was  handed  him.  It  was  from 
his  friends  at  the  national  capital,  and  stated  that  Major 
Welch  had  secured  an  order  to  admit  Captain  Allen  to  bail. 
Leech  turned  the  dispatch  over  carelessly,  face  downward, 
leant  back,  and  spoke  aloud  to  the  man  who  had  handed  it 
to  him.  "  I'll  send  an  answer.  Wait  a  little."  He  rose. 

This  motion,  he  said,  he  should  be  glad  to  assent  to, 
and,  indeed,  was  about  to  propose  himself,  as  such  novel 
circumstances  had  arisen ;  and  he  should  be  glad  to  do 
anything  that  would  please  his  friends,  especially  Major 
Welch,  and  he  hoped  he  might  add  his  congratulations  to 
the  young  couple  and  his  friend  Major  Welch,  if  it  was 
not  too  late.  This  was  received  with  bows  more  or  less 
perfunctory  ;  only  old  Mr.  Bagby  bowed  low  with  mock 
gratitude,  and  General  Legaie,  twirling  his  mustache,  said 
something  aloud  about  a  "shameless  dog."  The  bail 
was  quickly  arranged,  and  Captain  Allen  walked  out  amid 
the  cheers  of  the  crowd.  The  delight  of  the  multitude 
about  the  court-green,  among  whom  the  story  had  rapidly 
spread,  knew  no  bounds.  There  are  some  things  that 
strike  chords  in  all  hearts,  and  the  happiness  of  a  newly 
married  couple  is  one  of  them.  The  negroes  had  responded 
to  it  as  quickly  as  the  whites ;  and  when  Captain  Allen, 
who,  immediately  on  the  announcement,  had  been  joined 
by  his  wife,  walked  from  the  court-room,  with  her  at  his 
side  blushing  and  pale  by  turns,  but  with  her  face  full  of 
joy,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  knew  no  bounds.  Whites 
and  blacks  crowded  up  to  congratulate  him,  and  to  shake 
his  hand  and  say  pleasant  things  to  his  wife. 

Through  this  throng  Leech  had  to  push  as  he  made  his 
way  from  the  court-house,  his  bundle  of  papers  hugged  to 
his  chest.  His  sallow  cheeks  were  deadly  white,  and  his 
37 


578  BED   ROCK 

face  was  drawn  and  white  ;  but  the  look  of  baffled  rage  in 
his  eyes  was  not  seen,  as  he  kept  them  turned  to  the 
ground.  He  saw  many  whom  he  had  deemed  his  closest 
followers  pressing  up  to  be  seen  among  those  who  con- 
gratulated Captain  Allen,  and  he  knew  by  these  weather- 
cocks that  the  wind  had  turned  and  the  game  was  lost. 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

SOME  OF  THE  THKEADS  ABE  TIED 

IN  the  old  stories,  the  climax  used  to  be  considered  at- 
tained when  the  yonng  couple  became  engaged.  Like  the 
hero  and  heroine  of  the  fairy  tales  of  our  youth,  in  that 
golden  land  of  "  Once-upon-a-time,"  all  that  was  to  be 
told  after  they  became  engaged  was  that  "they  married 
and  lived  happily  ever  after."  In  the  modern  stories,  how- 
ever, this  seems  to  be  but  the  beginning  of  new  adventures. 
Marriage,  which  used  to  be  the  entrance  to  bliss  unending, 
appears  to  be  now  but  the  "  gate  of  the  hundred  sorrows  ; " 
and  the  hero  and  heroine  wed  only  to  find  that  they  loved 
someone  else  better,  and  pine  to  be  disunited.  They 
spend  the  rest  of  their  lives  trying  to  get  unmarried. 
Nothing  is  so  unconventional  as  to  love  one's  own  husband 
or  wife,  and  nothing  so  tame  as  to  live  pure  and  true  to 
one's  vows  in  spirit  as  well  as  in  fact. 

It  must  be  said,  at  once,  that  this  is  not  a  story  of  that 
kind.  The  people  described  in  it  knew  nothing  of  that 
sort  of  existence.  Any  reader  who  chooses  to  go  farther 
in  this  history  must  do  so  with  the  full  knowledge  that 
such  is  the  case,  and  that  the  married  life  of  the  young 
couples  will  be  found  as  archaic  and  pure  as  that  of  our 
first  parents,  before  modern  wisdom  discovered  that  the 
serpent  was  more  than  the  devil,  and  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil  more  than  a  tree  of  knowledge.  Still, 
when  we  have  come  so  far  together,  it  is  necessary  to  go  a 
little  farther. 

Thus,  it  must  be  briefly  explained,  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  may  be  interested  to  know,  what  became  of  those 

579 


580  RED   KOCK 

whose  story  they  have  been  following ;  and  such  as  do  not 
care  to  read  farther,  may  leave  off  here  and  content  them- 
selves with  knowing  that  they  met,  if  not  the  fates  they 
deserved,  at  least,  the  fates  which  life  brought,  and  met 
them  with  undaunted  hearts. 

The  temporary  adjournment  of  the  prosecution  against 
Captain  Allen  was  but  preliminary  to  a  continuance,  and, 
finally,  the  case  was  altogether  dismissed.  The  prosecu- 
tion of  Major  Welch's  son-in-law  was  a  very  different  thing 
from  that  of  a  mere  citizen  of  that  unhappy  section.  Bat 
the  investigation  that  followed  proved  triumphantly  that 
Captain  Allen's  part  in  the  movements  that  had  taken 
place  had  been  precisely  what  he  asserted  they  were,  and 
that  he  had  done  much  to  break  up  later  the  organization 
of  night-riders. 

Not  that  this  was  the  end  of  the  troubles  in  the  Red 
Eock  country,  and  in  the  section  of  which  it  formed  a 
part,  or  of  the  struggle  that  went  on  between  the  people  of 
that  section  and  Leech  and  the  other  vultures  who  were 
preying  on  them.  The  talons  of  those  vultures  were  too 
firmly  imbedded  to  be  easily  dislodged.  But  in  time,  the 
last  of  the  harpies  was  put  to  flight. 

As  for  Leech,  there  is  record  of  one  of  the  name  who, 
after  holding  the  leadership  of  one  party  in  his  State,  on 
the  overthrow  of  that  party  by  the  outraged  white  people 
of  the  State,  soon  became  a  partisan  on  the  victorious  side. 
There  is  also  record  of  a  Leech  who,  having  been  during 
the  "carpet-bagger"  regime  a  man  of  large  means  and 
political  prominence,  wa?  known  at  last  mainly  on  account 
of  an  unsavory  story  of  the  manner  in  which  he  had  tried 
to  get  rid  of  his  wife,  and  marry  another  woman.  Having 
been  frustrated  in  that  design  through  the  efforts  of  a 
former  political  associate,  a  certain  Colonel  McRaffle,  who 
attained  a  temporary  celebrity  on  account  of  his  disclos- 
ures before  the  Commission  that  investigated  the  frauds 
in  the  State,  this  Leech,  it  appears,  fell  into  great  want, 
and  was  nursed  through  his  last  illness  by  the  faithful 


SOME   OF   THE   THREADS   AKE  TIED  581 

wife  whom  he  had  so  ill-treated.  Headers  may  decide  for 
themselves  whether  either  of  these  was  the  once  supreme 
"  carpet-bagger "  dictator  of  Red  Rock — if,  indeed,  they 
both  were  not  the  same  person. 

But  to  narrate  all  this  would  lead  this  history  into  wholly 
other  lines. 

The  day  after  her  marriage,  Ruth  received  a  deed  which 
had  just  been  recorded,  conveying  to  her  the  part  of  Red 
Rock  which  Major  Welch  had  bought  of  Still  and  restored 
to  Jacquelin,  and  with  the  deed  a  letter  from  Jacquelin, 
asking  her,  as  Steve's  wife,  to  accept  it  from  him  and 
Rupert  as  a  wedding  present.  The  letter  said  things  about 
Steve  over  which  Ruth  shed  tears,  though  her  radiant 
face  showed  how  happy  she  was. 

"Dr.  Moses"  had  a  somewhat  curious  career.  Jacque- 
lin's  statement  of  what  he  saw  the  night  of  the  attempt- 
ed assassination  of  Middleton  cast  suspicion  on  Moses ;  and 
he  was  arrested,  and  arraigned  before  a  negro  magistrate. 
It  was  shown  that  he  had  made  prophecies  or  threats 
against  Middleton.  But  Leech  appeared  as  his  counsel, 
and  at  least  twenty  witnesses  testified  to  the  man's  hav- 
ing been  at  the  Bend  all  night.  So  he  was  at  once  dis- 
charged ;  and  the  shooting  of  Middleton  was,  in  the  public 
press,  generally  charged  to  the  bands  of  midnight  assassins, 
to- whom  it  was  the  custom  at  that  time  to  attribute  all 
outrages  that  were  committed — at  least,  where  the  objects 
were  Northern  men.  One  journal,  indeed,  alleged  that 
Jacquelin  himself  was  concerned  in  it,  and  charged  that  his 
crowning  infamy  was  the  attempt  to  place  the  shooting 
on  "a  reputable  colored  physician  in  the  County — one  of 
the  few  men  whose  education  had  enabled  them  to  enter 
one  of  the  learned  professions."  The  prophecies  of  Moses, 
however,  greatly  increased  his  reputation ;  his  prestige 
and  power  became  tremendous,  and  he  was,  perhaps,  the 
person  most  feared  in  the  whole  County  by  his  own  race. 
Finally,  indeed,  he  became  such  a  dread  to  them  that 
they  rose,  and  he  was  run  away  from  the  Bend  by  his  own 


582  BED   EOCK 

people.  Nothing  more  was  heard  of  him  in  the  County. 
But  some  years  later,  in  one  of  the  adjoining  States,  a 
negro  was  hanged  by  a  mob,  and  an  account  of  it  was  pub- 
lished in  the  papers.  The  press  of  one  side  stated  that  he 
confessed  not  only  the  terrible  crime  for  which  he  was 
hanged,  but,  in  addition,  several  others  sufficiently  heinous 
to  entitle' him  to  be  classed  as  one  of  the  greatest  scoundrels 
in  the  world.  The  other  side  asserted  that  he  was  a  phy- 
sician of  standing,  who  had  at  one  time  enjoyed  a  large 
practice  in  another  State,  from  which  he  had  been  run  out 
by  the  bands  of  masked  desperadoes  who  had  terrorized 
that  section.  In  proof,  it  declared  that  "he  died  calling 
on  all  present  to  meet  him  in  heaven."  As  both  sides, 

however,  concurred  in  giving  his  name  as  Moses  , 

and  his  former  domicile  as  Red  Rock,  we  have  some  ground 
for  supposing  that  "  Dr.  Moses/'  as  Andy  Stamper  said, 
at  last  came  to  the  end  of  his  rope. 

Did  our  limits  permit,  the  marriage  of  several  other 
couples  besides  Steve  and  Ruth  might  be  chronicled. 
But  the  novelist  cannot  tell  at  one  time  all  he  knows.  Be 
this  known,  however,  that  as  some  citadels  are  captured  by 
assault,  so  others  capitulate  only  after  long  siege  ;  and  this 
both  Jacquelin  and  Captain  Thurston  discovered. 

When  the  engagement  of  Captain  Thurston  and  Miss 
Elizabeth  Dockett  was  announced  to  Mrs.  Dockett,  it  was 
by  Miss  Dockett  herself.  It  must  be  left  to  the  members 
of  Mrs.  Dockett's  own  sex  to  say  whether  Mrs.  Dockett 
was  surprised  or  not.  But  if  Miss  Elizabeth  had  struck 
her  flag,  Mrs.  Dockett  had  not  by  any  means  struck  hers. 
Her  first  pronunciamento  was  that  she  had  not  a  word  to 
say  against  Captain  Thurston,  who  was,  she  admitted,  a 
perfect  gentleman ;  but  that  she  wanted  him  to  under- 
stand that  everyone  who  came  into  that  house  had  to  dance 
to  the  tune  of  Dixie.  This  the  Captain  professed  he  was 
prepared  to  do,  and  would  only  ask  that  he  might  some- 
times be  allowed  to  warble  in  his  own  room  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner. 


SOME   OF   THE   THREADS   AEE  TIED  583 

Not  long  after  this,  the  Red  Rock  case  was  to  come  up 
again.  But  a  little  time  before  the  term  of  court  at  which 
it  was  to  be  tried,  an  offer  of  compromise  was  made  to 
Jacquelin.  It  was  said  that  Hiram  Still  had  one  night 
seen  the  "  Indian  Killer "  standing  by  the  red-rock,  and 
that  this  influenced  him  to  make  his  proposition.  Later 
on,  some  said  the  apparition  was  Rupert,  who  had  just 
come  back  from  the  West  a  stalwart  youngster  as  tall  as 
Jacquelin. 

Under  the  terms  of  Still's  offer  the  mansion  and  a  part  of 
the  plantation  were  to  become  Jacquelin's  and  Rupert's, 
while  the  overseer's  house,  with  something  like  half  the 
estate,  was  to  remain  Mr.  Still's. 

Jacquelin  was,  at  first,  unwilling  to  make  any  terms 
with  Still.  He  was  satisfied  that,  with  the  evidence  he 
now  had,  he  should  win  his  case,  and  that  Still  could  be 
sent  to  the  penitentiary.  But  Bail  was  to  sit  in  the  case 
again,  and  the  upper  court  was  composed  of  Leech's  creat- 
ures ;  so  that  no  one  could  be  sure  of  winning  his  cause, 
whatever  its  merits  ;  while  Still  himself  was  reported  to  be 
so  feeble  that  his  death  was  expected  at  any  time. 

There  were,  perhaps,  other  reasons  that  moved  Jacque- 
lin. Miss  Thomasia,  when  she  heard  of  Still's  offer, 
promptly  urged  its  rejection.  She  would  never  allow  him 
to  be  lawful  owner  of  an  acre  of  their  old  place,  though, 
she  added,  with  a  sigh,  she  herself  would,  perhaps,  not 
live  to  set  foot  there  again. 

"  Yes,  you  shall,"  said  Jacquelin  ;  and  he  wrote  that 
night  and  accepted  the  terms  proposed.  His  first  act  was 
the  fulfilment  of  his  pledge  to  his  mother  on  her  death- 
bed ;  and  she  was  laid  beside  her  husband  in  the  Red  Rock 
burying-ground,  in  sight  of  the  old  garden  in  which  she 
had  walked  as  a  bride. 

When  Miss  Thomasia  entered  the  Red  Rock  door  on  the 
day  of  her  return,  she  stopped  and  clasped  her  hands  tight- 
ly. The  eyes  bent  on  her,  from  the  walls  seemed  to  beam 
on  her  a  welcome. 


584  RED   ROCK 

"Well,  thank  God  for  all  His  mercies  ! "  she  said,  fer- 
vently ;  and,  taking  her  seat  in  an  arm-chair,  she  spent 
most  of  the  afternoon  knitting  silently  and  looking  round 
her  with  softened  eyes  and  lips  that  moved  constantly, 
though  they  uttered  no  sound.  Later  she  went  out  into 
the  garden,  and  looked  at  the  remnants  of  the  flowers  that 
were  left ;  and  there  Steve  and  his  wife  found  her  when 
they  came  to  take  tea  with  her  that  first  evening,  and 
there,  still  later,  Jacquelin  brought  Blair  to  tell  of  his 
new  happiness. 

THE  END. 


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